Mijas to ban beach bars
Scores of beach bars on the Costa del Sol could be forced to close next year. 20 years after it was introduced, authorities plan to enforce Spain's Ley de Costas (Coastal Law), which prohibits buildings within 100 metres of the sea.
The regional government of Andalucia has warned that over half of the beach bars and restaurants on the popular Costa del Sol will not be allowed to extend their licences when they come up for renewal next year, according to reports in Spanish newspaper La Opinión de Málaga.
300 establishments - 60 per cent of those on the stretch of coastline - may be forced to shut up shop as Andalucia's coastal authorities plan to enforce the Ley de Costas, although it has been in place since 1988. Many of the bars were established after this date and are now approaching the end of their concessions. The authorities say that the buildings contravene planning regulations and they now want to rectify the situation
"It will be a lengthy, complicated process because nothing has been done for 20 years," Javier Hermoso, chief of the beaches on the eastern end of the Costa del Sol, told the paper.
Some towns have already made moves to ensure buildings fall within the law. Estepona, for example, has built a coastal promenade and moved many of its bars to new premises, leaving only five on the beach.
Other towns, such as Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Mijas, are facing the difficult task of finding space for the businesses, possibly moving their promenades to ensure they leave the required 100 metres free.
Local business leaders have criticised the move. Norberto del Castillo from the Andalucian Federation of Beach Businesses feared the loss of more than 7,000 employees in the province of Malaga, which houses around half of all Andalucia's beach bars and restaurants.
Visit Mijas Costa
Source: holidaylettings.co.uk
The regional government of Andalucia has warned that over half of the beach bars and restaurants on the popular Costa del Sol will not be allowed to extend their licences when they come up for renewal next year, according to reports in Spanish newspaper La Opinión de Málaga.
300 establishments - 60 per cent of those on the stretch of coastline - may be forced to shut up shop as Andalucia's coastal authorities plan to enforce the Ley de Costas, although it has been in place since 1988. Many of the bars were established after this date and are now approaching the end of their concessions. The authorities say that the buildings contravene planning regulations and they now want to rectify the situation
"It will be a lengthy, complicated process because nothing has been done for 20 years," Javier Hermoso, chief of the beaches on the eastern end of the Costa del Sol, told the paper.
Some towns have already made moves to ensure buildings fall within the law. Estepona, for example, has built a coastal promenade and moved many of its bars to new premises, leaving only five on the beach.
Other towns, such as Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Mijas, are facing the difficult task of finding space for the businesses, possibly moving their promenades to ensure they leave the required 100 metres free.
Local business leaders have criticised the move. Norberto del Castillo from the Andalucian Federation of Beach Businesses feared the loss of more than 7,000 employees in the province of Malaga, which houses around half of all Andalucia's beach bars and restaurants.
Visit Mijas Costa
Source: holidaylettings.co.uk