With the municipal term nearing its end, Málaga Mayor Francisco de la Torre has presented a review of his administration, emphasizing housing as the main priority, despite it not being a direct municipal responsibility. Another key project is the new Music Auditorium, with the first stone potentially laid before the year's end, inspired by Bilbao's Euskalduna model and capable of hosting congresses.
Other ongoing projects include the CaixaForum headquarters, already under construction, and the Unicaja Foundation. Regarding the Guadalmedina River, project drafting is planned, with works likely to be deferred to the next term. The Málaga Litoral Plan has been postponed, and the future of La Rosaleda stadium, after location studies, returns to square one, pending agreements with fans, the club, and other administrations.
A moratorium will be implemented in the coming days to prevent changes from residential to tourist use, adding to the existing one that limits new tourist accommodations. The city is also promoting high-category lodging, with two five-star hotels in development and the upcoming tender for land in La Térmica for hotel use, prioritizing five-star or luxury five-star establishments.
The mayor has reiterated that his continuation in office depends on his ability to reduce his workload and dedicate more time to rest and sports, noting he currently sleeps less than six hours a night. He has expressed frustrations related to the lack of support from the Spanish Government, citing the bid for the European Customs Agency headquarters and the request to implement a tourist tax.
The term has also been marked by challenges such as the Low Emission Zone, whose potential appeal to the Supreme Court is under review following a partial ruling by the TSJA, and the yet-to-be-implemented waste tax. Regarding social housing (VPO), over 5,000 units are in development, mostly for rent, although the progress of Lagar de Oliveros is stalled due to insufficient electrical power.
In the last three years, Urban Planning has processed 4,275 licenses for 6,529 homes, with a total construction budget exceeding 910 million euros. Measures such as the Project Accelerator and the new License Processing Ordinance have been implemented to expedite procedures.
