Each year, the beaches of the Costa del Sol suffer the impact of storms, leading to significant sand loss and substantial expenses for replenishment. The Marbella City Council allocated 700,000 euros between January and April for coastal adaptation, while Mijas invested 247,000 euros in regeneration work and sand replenishment over the last month and a half following winter storms.
The Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge announced last September the approval of the Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) for the coastal stabilization project in San Pedro, between the Guadalmina and Guadaiza rivers. Additionally, in June 2025, the project for Marbella's beaches, between Venus and Punta el Ancón, received approval, with a total investment reaching 15.9 million euros.
“"We are waiting for the tender to be issued. Only the sand report was missing to tender the projects, and the Junta de Andalucía delivered it more than six months ago, favorably responding to the transfer from a river in the province of Cádiz bordering Málaga."
In Mijas, it has been reported that the mayor sent a letter to the director general of the Coast and Sea of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, demanding beach stabilization and an explanation for the “paralysis” of the project between El Bombo and La Cala. This project, which involves an investment of 2.2 million euros to intervene in 2.8 kilometers of coastline, was declared void in its November 2022 tender.
For its part, Ecologistas en Acción has expressed its rejection of these projects, calling them “anti-nature.” The organization believes they involve “artificializing the beach” and do not seek “natural remedies,” in addition to not considering the environment's characteristics or climate change scenarios. They argue that the construction of submerged breakwaters in Marbella has less impact, but the San Pedro project, with perpendicular groynes, is a “folly” that perpetuates the need for artificial sand regeneration.
Other town councils, such as those in Estepona, Torremolinos, and Fuengirola, have also requested concrete beach stabilization plans. The mayor of Torremolinos demanded last March a solid and definitive response to storm damage, while the mayor of Fuengirola requested in January an action plan after losing over 11,000 cubic meters of sand.
