One of the initiatives in the 'Torremolinos: Transforming Paradise' integrated action plan is beginning to take shape. This EU-funded package of measures largely focuses ... on road infrastructure improvements.
The now announced initiative focuses on a major project: the redevelopment of the area around Avenue Los Manantiales, which carries a large proportion of the traffic in this Costa del Sol municipality and is home to a high percentage of its population.
After this, work in neighbouring areas, such as Plaza Pablo Ruiz Picasso, María Barrabino, Calle Río Subordán and Calle Arba, will follow. Local authorities have also hinted at other projects in this area in Río Trueba, Santa Rosa and Calle Buenos Aires, among others.
Put out to tender
The administrative process is already under way and has so far involved putting out to tender the contract for the drafting of the technical design, project management and health and safety coordination to meet these objectives.
The tender is divided into two lots. On the one hand, the lot dedicated to Los Manantiales, which comprises the comprehensive refurbishment of utilities, paving and street furniture; and, on the other, the implementation of the urban accessibility plan known as 'Zona Centro', with a similar objective. In both cases, the project duration is 47 months.
As a rough estimate, the cost of these urban development projects will be 3.1 million for various works covering some 8,000 square metres in the area around Los Manantiales and 4.5 million, covering 13,650 square metres, in the town centre.
As for the contracts currently in progress, the town hall is considering a sum of nearly 270,000 euros to finalise the changes to the avenue and more than 380,000 for the town centre, bringing the total to around 650,000.
The contract, for which tenders may be submitted until 5 November, is 85 per cent co-financed by the EU and 15 per cent by Torremolinos town hall.
The aim of the local authorities is "to promote sustainable urban development from the threefold perspective of the environment, the economy and society, thereby improving the quality of life for all residents".
The plan has three pillars: the first focuses on the transformation and revitalisation of the urban environment, with universal accessibility, sustainable transport and the creation of high-quality public environments; the second aims to improve the efficiency of public administration by optimising the management of its services and promoting public participation through innovative technologies and an integrated municipal data platform; and the third aims to promote the renaturalisation of various areas, improve "ecological connectivity" and facilitate leisure and recreation in natural surroundings.
Examples
In addition to the redevelopment of the area around Avenida de Los Manantiales, the town hall has also announced its plans to undertake improvements to pedestrian access along Camino del Pilar, a study to organise traffic at the access points to La Colina and improvements to connections between La Leala and El Pinillo, on the border with Benalmádena; the creation of health trails; and the removal of barriers along the routes to all the municipality's beaches.
It also aims to increase the use of AI in the town hall's administrative procedures, improve security, efficiency and geolocation in communications relating to social services and emergency services, digitise the municipal archive and establish the Torremolinos data office.
It also plans to use European funding to continue with the environmental and recreational improvements in the area around the pine forests and the San Miguel chapel and to renaturalise the embankment along Camino de la Playa and the Rocío Jurado park.