Torrox faces another summer with no coastal path in popular Peñoncillo area

Coastal Path

The easterm Costa del Sol project came to a standstill following the bankruptcy of the contractor, the Córdoba-based firm Consultora Bética Forestal S.L., leaving the work only partially completed.

Eugenio Cabezas

The Senda Litoral (coastal path) which, once complete will connect the whole of the Costa del Sol from Manilva to Maro (Nerja) has once again ... opened up a new political wound in Torrox.

The socialist PSOE municipal group, the main opposition political party in Torrox Town hall, has demanded that the mayor, Óscar Medina of the Partido Popular (PP) who governs with an absolute majority, find a "definitive solution" for the outstanding section around Peñoncillo and Rincón de Pepe, a project that has been at a standstill for several years and which continues to attract criticism from local residents and politicians.

PSOE spokesperson Mari Nieves Ramírez has accused the PP of doing nothing for 10 years: "Ten years have passed since the provincial council's Financially Sustainable Investment Plan, seven since the project was presented, three since the start of the planned work, and the coastal path remains completely at a standstill as it passes through Rincón de Pepe," she said. The PSOE argues that the situation highlights a lack of management on the part of the local PP governing team.

The PSOE maintains that the coastal path remains blocked at Rincón de Pepe despite years of announcements and promises from the PP

The criticism comes as a summer season gets under way, when the Torrox coastline sees a significant increase in the number of local residents and visitors. The PSOE maintains that the state of the Peñoncillo area, next to Rincón de Pepe, once again highlights the 'neglect' of a site which, in its view, offers significant potential for tourism and as a scenic attraction for the municipality.

Ramírez has accused PP councillors of being "incapable of solving Torrox's problems" and added, "The state of neglect and disrepair in this area is deplorable and shows that the mayor's priorities are a world away from the town's real needs."

'Advertising Policy'

The Socialist leader went further and criticised the governing team's policy of making announcements. "Every time elections draw near, the mayor once again promises projects and initiatives that never materialise and poses for photographs while lying to the public. After the headlines and the propaganda, the reality remains the same: there is no progress, no projects and no answers for local residents," she said.

The section in question forms part of the provincial Senda Litoral project, an initiative which includes several sections in Torrox Costa, including wooden footbridges at the mouths of the Manzano and Güi rivers and the section of the La Carraca Dunes in El Morche. However, progress has been more challenging in other parts of the eastern coastline, particularly around the lighthouse and El Peñoncillo.

The 400-metre section came to a standstill following the contractor's bankruptcy, and the town hall is exploring new funding options

In 2023, work began on a section of around 400 metres between the Punta del Faro housing estate and the Rincón de Pepe beach bar, with an initially planned investment of 419,550 euros. The project came to a standstill a few months later following the bankruptcy of the contractor, the Córdoba-based firm Consultora Bética Forestal S.L., leaving the work only partially completed.

The project involved a wooden footbridge, improvements to the pedestrian link, the reorganisation of the residential area's public gardens, and environmental regeneration work in the area near the mouth of the River Torrox. The town hall's aim is to extend the coastal promenade and improve the connection between the various existing sections, taking it as far as the boundary with Nerja.

El Peñoncillo is one of the most developed tourist destinations on the eastern stretch of Torrox Costa

< el Peñoncillo area is one of the most developed tourist destinations on the eastern stretch of Torrox Costa, featuring residential developments, bars, restaurants and beaches that are very popular during the summer. The pedestrian link between this area and the vicinity of the lighthouse and the rest of the coastal path is considered strategic for improving transport, managing the flow of residents and visitors, and enhancing the town's appeal to tourists.

SUR has attempted, so far without success, to obtain a statement from the PP-led local government. Meanwhile, the PSOE is calling on the mayor to provide explanations and set a realistic timetable for unblocking a section of the project that has been the subject of years of announcements, administrative difficulties and political criticism, and which is once again approaching summer without having been completed.