The PSOE of Málaga has warned that the City Council is transforming the promenade of Pedregalejo into a 'franchise environment', removing the maritime character of the neighbourhood. Furthermore, they demand urgent solutions due to the delays in the works.
The promenade of Pedregalejo, one of the most historic corners of Málaga, has become the centre of controversy. The socialist municipal group has denounced that the renovation project being carried out by the City Council is blurring the identity of the neighbourhood, replacing its maritime essence with a homogeneous commercial model.
The PSOE spokesperson in the City Council, Mariano Ruiz Araujo, visited the area accompanied by councillors Mari Carmen Sánchez and Lorena Doña. There, he gathered the concerns of the residents, who see how the works are dragging on without a clear completion date and how the design of the new promenade opts for a style they describe as “franchise environment”.
A lost opportunity for the neighbourhood
Ruiz Araujo lamented that the project has not taken the opportunity to enhance the maritime character of the area. “Instead, they are turning this promenade into a franchise promenade,” he stated. According to the councillor, the municipal intervention “does not care for the symbols or the identity” of Pedregalejo, a historic neighbourhood that has always maintained its personality in contrast to more touristy areas.
The socialists believe that the renovation was an opportunity to listen to residents and merchants, but they assert that the governing team has imposed a showcase city model that prioritises image over the roots of the neighbourhood. “It is a real shame that the City Council has showcased a city that does not care for its identity markers,” Ruiz Araujo criticised.
Residents desperate due to delays
The works, which began months ago, have accumulated delays that have generated “deep neighbourhood discontent”, according to the PSOE. Residents report structural damage to their homes and a lack of attention from the district councillor, Carlos Conde. Juan Manuel Morales, a local resident, expressed in the socialist statement the desperation of those affected:
“The problem we have is very serious. Because the work is stuck, they finish nothing, they start on one side, and finish on another.”
Ruiz Araujo has demanded an “urgent” intervention from the City Council and greater agility to resolve the chaos generated. The socialists remind that the promenade of Pedregalejo is an emblematic space for the people of Málaga, and its deterioration affects both the daily life of residents and the image of the neighbourhood.
Meanwhile, local merchants are worried as the summer season progresses without the works being completed. The uncertainty about the timelines and the final design of the promenade keeps a neighbourhood on edge, fearing it has permanently lost its maritime character.
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