Nerja town hall launches public consultation period on draft urban plan

Urban Planning

The general municipal development plan (PGOM) will shape the eastern Costa del Sol town’s urban development model in the coming years and replace the current plan, which has been in force since 2000

Eugenio Cabezas

Nerja town hall has taken a further step in drafting its future general municipal development plan (PGOM), the document that will shape the town’s urban development model in the coming years and replace the current plan, which has been in force since 2000.

The council has unanimously approved the start of the preparatory procedures for the draft document, with the launch of a public consultation process prior to the draft approval. The initiative has been spearheaded by the mayor, José Alberto Armijo and the councillor for urban planning and Infrastructure, Alberto Tomé.

According to the town hall the process will include the creation of a suggestions box on the council’s website so that residents, groups and organisations can submit their proposals over a period of one month.

Armijo said in a statement that this process represents “a step” towards a new urban model “adapted to current challenges”, with more sustainable, balanced and efficient planning. The mayor has stressed that the future PGOM will be strategic in nature and must serve to guide the municipality’s growth in accordance with the criteria of the new Andalusian urban planning legislation.

Objectives

Among the objectives are simplifying land classification, prioritising intervention in the existing town over new developments and promoting more sustainable transport, as well as strengthening the planning of public facilities, open spaces and cultural uses.

The new document will be drafted within the framework of the law on the promotion of territorial sustainability in Andalucía (Lista), a regulation that has necessitated a review of the urban planning instruments of numerous Andalusian municipalities and has already had a direct impact on some of the major pending projects in Nerja.

Tomé explained that the new master plan must ensure sufficient land is set aside for affordable housing, one of the municipality’s main challenges given the pressure from the property market and the impact of residential tourism. The councillor added that the PGOM must reconcile tourism with the allocation of land for facilities, public services and open spaces, seeking a balance between economic development and quality of life.

The launch of this process comes at a particularly sensitive time for urban planning in Nerja, marked by recent debates such as the planned development in the Barranco de la Coladilla, comprising 964 homes, or the suspension of the golf course project in the Vega de Maro.

Vega de Maro

Added to this is the ongoing conflict over Larios’s actions in the Vega de Maro, following the termination of some 400 lease agreements, demolitions and tree felling denounced by the Platform for Maro and its Agriculture (AMA) and by environmental groups. Armijo argued at the last council meeting that the town hall is acting in accordance with the law and "defending the public interest" while noting that Maro’s future currently depends on "preserving its agricultural character".

Against this backdrop, the future PGOM is set to be a key tool for managing Nerja’s growth, determining which land should be developed, which should be protected and how to strike a balance between housing, tourism, agriculture, the landscape and sustainability. Public participation will now be the first step in a process that is expected to be lengthy and technically complex.

The town hall aims for residents’ contributions to enrich the preliminary assessment before the draft version of the document is approved. From there, the planning process must continue with sectoral reports, an environmental assessment, public consultation and the other safeguards provided for in planning regulations, although the town hall has not yet specified any deadlines.

Both projects have sparked political and social controversy due to their territorial and environmental impact, particularly because of their proximity to protected areas such as the Nerja Cave. In this context, the PGOM is emerging as a key tool for defining the municipality’s future, balancing housing, tourism, agriculture and sustainability.