While not exactly whole-heartedly welcome by local shopkeepers, residents of Marbella are seemingly in favour of a pedestrianized city centre. Marbella Town Hall officials are making some EUR 50,000 available to test, if such a scheme is viable.
House hunters looking for property in Marbella’s centre are likely to welcome a reduction in traffic noise, a car-free zone that would start at the junction of Roman y Cajal, extend to Ricardo Soriano between Calle del Calvario and Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente and would create a pedestrianized zone that would close off 600 metres of Marbella’s liveliest streets, including San Juan Bosco, Sierra Blanca and Avenida del Mar.
What worked well for Malaga’s Calle Larios is now to be tested in Marbella. In Malaga the reduction of traffic created a lively and vibrant commercial centre and breathed new life into a city centre that was suffering from recession-induced closures of shops and businesses.
The whole process will start off with a feasibility study, which is being forwarded for public tender with the results to be made public in February 2013.
Some shop owners and proprietors of cafes and bars argue that the scheme is unlikely to bring more people into this part of Marbella and that the EUR 50,000 would be better spent on creating a market in the port, which many regard as the real hub of Marbella, where money is made from visiting locals and tourists alike.
Others say that residents requiring access to services and amenities in the centre of Marbella are plagued by lack of parking; they are struggling to get to important appointments on time because there are not sufficient parking spaces and traffic is too congested at certain times of the day.
For those seeking to relocate and buy property in Marbella’s city centre to be within walking distance of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars a pedestrianized zone is good news - they are moving to Spain because they wish to improve their quality of life, so less noise from traffic, better air quality and a more relaxed atmosphere are all plus points.
Meanwhile, the resale homes property market in the Malaga province has staged a quiet come-back with an 11% increase in the first three quarters of this year. For the first time since the housing market in Spain collapsed second-hand home sales have seen growth thanks to buyers from overseas snapping up bargains.
From January to September 2012 second-hand home sales activity rose by 3.5% in the Malaga province compared to the same period last year. This means anyone thinking of relocating to the Costa del Sol or wishing to purchase a holiday home should probably start making enquiries now rather than holding out for further price drops.
With 30% buyers from the UK topped the list of overseas investors in Costa del Sol real estate, followed by buyers from Scandinavia with 20% across the Nordic regions. Although this is the first time in four years that an actual increase of sales has been recorded for the second-hand homes market, there is no need to fear another property boom will spoil the coastline further - a temporary freeze of all building and construction activity within 500 metres of the coastline was passed by the Junta de Andalucía, which will be in force for at least 2 years.
The Junta aims to force all 101 Costa del Sol municipalities falling into the Andalucía province to review and update their coastal protection measures and local development plans in accordance with the 2006 POTA regional planning ordinance. So far the only coastal resorts that are in compliance of these protective measures are Marbella, Fuengirola and Malaga and only nine other municipalities have undertaken the necessary changes.
It is to be hoped that some of the comparatively undeveloped spots along the shoreline will continue to be saved from further development. The natural beauty of local flora and fauna are a major factor why people wish to move to this part of Spain - they can see high rise buildings any day of the week in their native Birmingham, Stockholm, Frankfurt or Moscow!