Residents across Torre del Mar have received welcome news after their council backed a series of practical measures during the June plenary session. Cross-party support delivered clear responses to community feedback on health, services, safety and daily connections. Leaders showed they take resident concerns seriously by acting together on several fronts.

Responding to health worries over mobile phone tower

Neighbours have been voicing worries for several years about the telecom installation in Calle Medico Ros Alferez. Council members voted unanimously to remove the eyesore after long-standing complaints linked it to local health issues. Past work already prevented three new mobile phone masts during the current term, with one taken down after legal action. Officials now seek extra powers from central government to manage licences and require health safety checks on existing sites. A study will explore moving similar equipment out of populated areas while protecting service quality.

Advancing safety and community information

Further unanimous votes backed permanent information campaigns on council rules to help people understand local expectations and encourage good relations, especially among younger residents, tourists and motorhome users. Another measure supports video surveillance systems in schools, care homes, day centres and other public support sites to protect those most at risk.

Addressing calls for safer neighbourhood ties

Residents from Ensanche Oeste, working through the local pressure group AVEOtorre, talked of the need for better pedestrian access to the promenade after the original route was removed. Their demonstration renewed requests for paving, progress on the roundabout and completion of Vial-7. Council leaders had already pledged to prioritise accessibility improvements, and current projects continue to deliver safer connections for the growing community of over 1,300 homes.

These unanimous outcomes demonstrate a council ready to engage with feedback and deliver results on health, services and quality of life in Torre del Mar and the wider area. Either that, or they wanted the proposals out of the way so they could quickly go on their summer holidays. In any case, progress has unanimously been made. Further work will build on this advancement for the benefit of local people.

Club Polideportivo Mijas Gymnastics club brought its season to a close with stunning performances in an emotional gala at the Polideportivo de Osunillas, Mijas Pueblo, an afternoon of flowers, tears, warm applause from start to finish.

A full colourful season of talent and progress on display

Gymnasts from every category performed their individual and collective routines, with families and supporters cheering from the stands. These snippets of music and choreography gave loved ones a chance to appreciate how far each athlete had come over the course of the year. From the youngest girls in their little tutus representing Mijas, La Cala de Mijas, and Las Cañadas, to the competitive and pre-competitive gymnasts, wowing with their creativity and talent, every routine was met with enthusiastic appreciation from a packed (very hot) venue. Diplomas and gifts were presented to all participants, with organisers and coaches also receiving recognition for their contributions throughout the season.

Heartfelt farewells for Carla and Tania

Moving moments came with the formal send-offs for Carla Zaragoza and Tania Sanchez, both stepping back from competition. One due to head off for university studies, and the other for personal reasons. A specially produced video montage traced their journeys from young girls taking their first steps in rhythmic gymnastics to accomplished club members, drawing tears from teammates, coaches, and families across the room.

Mijas Rhythmic Gymnastics Club

The popular local club hold classes for a wide variety of ages across Mijas, La Cala de Mijas, and Las Cañadas. With a new generation of young gymnasts progressing through the ranks, the club enters next competition season with genuine optimism for further wins and successes in the sport.

For more information on the club, their competitions and galas, you can visit the Mijas Town Hall website or CP Mijas Gimnasia Ritmica social media channels.

Council leaders have just approved changes to the Malaga City plan that stop automatic approval for new hotels, hostels, tourist apartments and short-term rentals on residential land. Any new project in these zones now needs a full planning modification, which must prove broad public benefit in general and ask specifically to that neighbourhood. Requests submitted after the rule appears in legal text face suspension for up to three years.

However, earlier applications keep moving forward unaffected. This latest step builds on earlier limits introduced since 2024. Officials hope to return more homes to local residents while trying to balance tourism as the area’s main economic driver.

Current scale of tourist rentals in Malaga

Official regional records show over twelve thousand registered short-term tourist properties in Malaga’s capital alone. These offer around sixty-four thousand beds. Separate estimates from national statistics place the figure lower, around eight thousand properties with capacity for thirty-four thousand places. There is no shortage of interest in the Costa del Sol for holidaying, but balance is called for, especially with a housing crisis on the horizon.

The city centre and areas near Plaza de la Merced show the highest concentration. Some streets have turned over 80 per cent of homes to tourist use. Pressure has also grown in neighbourhoods such as Pedregalejo, El Palo, La Malagueta and Huelin.

Step-by-step tightening of rules

Restrictions arrived gradually at first. First came rules requiring independent access and services for new tourist homes inside apartment blocks.

In August 2025 a three-year pause stopped new registrations in forty-three saturated neighbourhoods where tourist homes already exceeded eight per cent of housing stock. Exceptions allowed some projects that were already under way and full tourist apartment buildings to continue.

The new plan closes those gaps by treating all forms of tourist accommodation the same on residential land, even hotels.

Shop units face tighter conversion rules

The same reforms limit changes from shops into flats to rent on main streets and squares. Remaining conversions must meet stricter standards for light, ventilation and size when being considered for tourist rental.

Council members say these steps will help keep local businesses active and protect the housing supply for residents. Opposition groups and neighbourhood associations argue even more limits and more affordable housing construction are still needed. But, for now, the council has remained conservative.

Licence rules across the Costa del Sol

Elsewhere on the coast, Marbella and most other towns continue to accept new short-term rental applications. Two areas, Malaga capital and Manilva, operate three-year pauses on new licences. Mijas has applied extra conditions.

Licences remain tied to the property rather than the owner. Buyers of registered homes can usually continue rental operations after a simple ownership update with the regional tourism register.

National changes simplify compliance

A nationwide registration system for short-term rentals ended in May 2026 after a Supreme Court ruling. Regional VFT licences in Andalucia now serve as the main requirement.

Operators must provide information such as emergency procedures, maintain proper insurance and follow guest registration duties. Fines for unlicensed activity can reach high levels in serious cases.

Marbella is maintaining oversight without a blanket cap on licences, and so seemingly more relaxed than some of its neighbouring towns. New applications are still possible provided neighbourhood association and council conditions are met.