The mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, has announced the intention to create a low-cost public campsite for people living in caravans in Sacaba. The eviction of the area is scheduled for next Tuesday.
The Málaga City Council has initiated the eviction of the motorhomes and residential vehicles settled on the former Butano grounds, next to Sacaba beach. The warning, communicated via a Local Police notice, sets the deadline for next Tuesday. From that day onwards, vehicles that remain will be removed by a tow truck.
Francisco de la Torre has acknowledged that the settlement generates "cohabitation problems" and has assured that he is seeking a housing solution for those affected. "This is the issue that this city has been pending for some time, how we can facilitate the existence of a campsite within the municipality for caravans," the mayor has stated.
A "cheap" campsite as an alternative
De la Torre has explained that his proposal involves creating a low-cost public campsite, although he admitted that they do not yet have suitable public land. "We are not landowners in that area to address it quickly, we hope it can be done and a solution can be found," he indicated. The mayor emphasized that the people living in the area "have all my respect, especially those who are a consequence of the housing issue."
The City Council justifies the action for reasons of cleanliness and health. The councillor for the Carretera de Cádiz district, Francisco Pomares, was emphatic: "We are going to evict everything and we will put up bollards so that it cannot be re-entered into the Repsol plot." The area is located just 200 meters from a luxury tower under construction, where a penthouse with views costs nearly 10 million euros.
The opposition demands housing solutions
The spokesperson for the PSOE, Mariano Ruiz Araujo, has called for "urgent solutions, including a residential relocation plan" for the dozens of people living in the makeshift parking lot. "The Málaga City Council is very quick to put cranes to remove these types of settlements but slow to implement solutions," he denounced.
Ruiz Araujo has reminded that among the residents are public administration workers and families who have suffered from high rental and purchase prices. "They are mostly residents who suffer from the problem of high housing prices," the socialist spokesperson insisted.
The councillor for Con Málaga, Toni Morillas, has expressed her support for families who are "forced to live in residential vehicles" and has denounced that their situation is a direct consequence of the city model that expels residents. Morillas demands that the City Council "abandon evictions and criminalization" and has announced that she will present a series of proposals to build dignified alternatives.
For the residents of the area, the imminent eviction represents a new chapter in the housing crisis that plagues Málaga. While the mayor seeks land for the promised campsite, the affected families will have to leave their makeshift homes before Tuesday. The City Council has assured that those affected will be kept informed about the steps to follow.
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