Backing for beach bars

ALMUÑECAR Council has announced that it intends to be the “firmest ally” for the beach bars located in La Herradura and the town itself over the uncertainty regarding their legality. Town mayor, Trinidad Herrera Lorente, issued the rallying cry during the Tourism Almuñecar 2016 awards ceremony held at the Palacete de La Najarra.

Her words were echoed by Tourism councillor, Rafael Caballero, who said that he “cannot imagine the beaches of La Herradura and Velilla without the beach bars and their aquatic activities such as windsurf.”

Lorente also issued a plea to the Environment Ministry to “reconsider and renew the administrative concessions without changing the current location of the beach bars.”

Almost 200 bars in Malaga Province are awaiting concessions allowing them to occupy beaches, and they have effectively been operating illegally since the ministry presented new regulations for the sector in 2013.

October is the official deadline for bars to receive paperwork permitting them to remain open, but the process does not appear to be progressing as planned following three years of rumours and uncertainty.