Costa del Sol
Thirteen municipalities in Málaga challege the new POT territorial plan
By h.b.
Mar 21, 2008 - 8:48 AM

Thirteen municipalities in the province of Málaga have formally placed appeals against the new POT territorial plan proposed by the Junta de Andalucía. The Mayors of the towns and villages, from both the PP and the PSOE, consider the new POT takes over areas which are their own responsibility.

The POT is designed to control development across the region from now until the year 2018, but it’s now known that 13 Mayors, representing a population of 833,000, voiced objections in the period allowed for doing so, considering the plan would restrict the development of their municipalities too greatly.

Objections are led by the PP Mayor of Alhaurín de la Torre, Joaquín Villanova, who also presented a 9,000 signature petition against the POT. The main argument there is over the possible future development of 7,000 new homes, including 4,000 of assisted housing in the town.

The PSOE Mayor of Rincón de la Victoria, Jesús Domínguez Palma, also considers that the plan ‘invades municipal responsibilities’.

Other challenges have been placed by Benalmádena and Torremolinos on the coast, Alhaurín el Grande, Cártama, Pizarra, Álora and Coin in the Guadalhorce valley. Smaller villages in the Montes de Málaga area have also voiced objections as in the cases of Casabermeja, Almogía and Totalán.

In general the complaint is that the area for possible future development has been restricted to a too great degree, while the Junta contends the restrictions are needed. They say that in Rincón, for example, it has been the uncontrolled development which led to the serious floods in the town in 2004.

The Málaga College of Architects has also meanwhile criticised the POT proposals, but they do so considering that the plan allows too many new homes to be built.