The mayor highlights the boom in Estepona with the implementation of strategic projects for the future of the city

The councilor took stock of the management of 2023 and highlighted the economic and social dynamism of the city, at the forefront of job creation in Andalusia and population growth in Spain.

He has listed the projects to advance in sustainability and quality of life with the creation of the great landscaped boulevard, which has generated one of the best promenades in Spain; as well as the Mirador del Carmen, which has provided the city with a vertical library, an auditorium, a music conservatory and an exhibition hall that has housed works of the Carmen Thyssen collection and the Mapfre Foundation. He has also referred to the promotion of new promotions of VPO, the sixth parking of the municipal network of cost 1 euro per day for the user, the opening of the new Town Hall and the progress in the connection of the coastal corridor.

He has valued the international recognition of the city model developed with the distinction awarded to Estepona by the British Academy of Urbanism as European City of the Year 2023.

In administrative and economic matters, he has highlighted the responsible and compliant management and legal certainty of the City Council, highlighting the reduction of the inherited debt from 304 million euros to 28 million euros, continuing without raising taxes.

The mayor of Estepona, José María García Urbano, has taken stock of municipal management of 2023 and highlighted “the momentum and the boom” that has reached the town with the strategic projects developed during the past year, “which are linked to the model of sustainable city and quality of life that has been implemented during the last decade”.

Thus, he noted that 2023 has been “another great year for Estepona”, with data that support the strength of the municipality. In this regard, he referred to the fact that the municipality continues to lead job creation in Andalusia and with lower unemployment rate. At the same time, has highlighted the population growth, ranking according to the INE, as the second city in Spain that has experienced a greater increase in registered. All this, “in a context in which the city has a great economic and social dynamism, driven by municipal initiatives that have favored the promotion of these sectors,” he explained.

In terms of projects, he referred to the urban progress that has meant the comprehensive remodeling of the Avenida de España (former N340) to turn it into a large landscaped boulevard, which opens the city to the sea, generating one of the best promenades in Spain. This initiative has been complemented by the work on the Mirador del Carmen sociocultural building; a project that has created a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean, with a large public space on the best plot of land that the city had by the sea. This emblematic building houses a large vertical library, an auditorium, a music conservatory -which will begin operating next year- and an exhibition hall that, since its opening, has placed Estepona as a cultural reference at national level with the exhibitions of the Carmen Thyssen collection and the Mapfre Foundation.

The alderman stressed that these projects are linked to the municipal initiative ‘Estepona, Garden of the Costa del Sol’, which has involved the great revitalization of the city center through the comprehensive remodeling of infrastructure, restricting road traffic and beautification of more than 130 streets in this area, which has generated an attractive environment to live and with important synergies for the economic and social fabric.

In addition, this year we have promoted the project that will be the culmination of all the modernization and transformation of the urban center through the creation of another boulevard that will link this urban center with the promenade, and that will generate another large space for pedestrians.

Precisely, this model of sustainable and citizen-friendly city has led Estepona to be chosen as the second European City of the Year 2023 by the prestigious international organization The Academy of Urbanism.

In terms of infrastructure, he has also referred to the momentum in the implementation of the coastal corridor that is linking the coastal strip, so that the city has already executed this project by more than 90 percent, with almost 23 kilometers of coastline linked by pedestrian paths. Thus, during this year several sections have been connected in the western and eastern areas of the city and projects have been promoted and authorizations have been requested for those that are pending.

Also, the mayor mentioned the progress in the network of inclusive public parking, with the opening of the fifth parking of the Municipal Parking Network costing 1 euro per day for the citizen and managed by people with disabilities. This work has provided the central Plaza del Ajedrez with 500 subway parking spaces and has involved the comprehensive remodeling of the surface and the enhancement of the entire environment. In this respect, the construction of the sixth parking lot of this network, in the surroundings of the church of El Carmen, has already been awarded.

Another relevant work has been the opening of the new Town Hall, located in the heart of the city, which has brought the administration closer to the citizens, unifying dependencies and improving the service provided. This modern building at the forefront of sustainability has also contributed another hundred parking spaces to the municipal network of 1 euro per day.

In addition, the councilor has valued the social support that has involved the delivery of 100 subsidized housing (VPO) and the start, during this 2023, the administrative processing for the construction of two new promotions that add up to more than another hundred social housing. Along with this, he recalled a multitude of actions carried out by all the neighborhoods of the city and the suburbs and has listed the momentum to infrastructure works and provision of services in the area of Camino de Las Mesas; the construction of the public park of La Hermandad, in the area of Las Mesas; and the expansion to multiply by 15 the capacity of the existing water tank in the area of Las Mesas.

Precisely, the matter of water infrastructures has mentioned the decisive municipal impulse to the creation of a desalination plant that guarantees the self-supply in the face of the drought situation. The City Council has the project and the financing for this important work.

Finally, in relation to this section, he mentioned the municipal negotiations with the central government to achieve another “urgent and necessary” demand for the city, such as the creation of a new access to the city center through the A-7 highway.

Paid 276 million euros of the inherited debt

In relation to the administrative and economic work of the City Council, the councilor has valued the continuity of responsible management, compliance and legal certainty of the local administration. Thus, he pointed out that 276 million euros have already been paid of the inherited debt of 304 million euros that existed in 2011, and which is currently around 28 million euros.

In economic management, he has also recalled the consolidation of the tax reduction implemented in 2012, with an accumulated reduction of 20% in the receipt of IBI and garbage rate for all citizens; as well as the effort of the local Admiistración not to pass on to the neighbors the increase in inflation despite the cost overruns that also supports the local government for the provision of services.

The cultural bet

The mayor has also referred to the “unquestionable leap in quality” that the city has experienced in terms of cultural facilities and promotion of artistic expression. In this sense, has set the new Mirador del Carmen as the epicenter of cultural and social activity in the town. In this regard, advanced the continuity of first-class exhibitions in the exhibition space, the opening of the library vertically, in collaboration with major cultural institutions in the country, and the implementation of the music conservatory, in collaboration with the Junta de Andalucía, for the next school year.

García Urbano has pointed out that the municipal work in this area has managed to link the name of Estepona to quality culture and give a valuable projection to the municipality. Along with this, he mentioned the prestige that the city has acquired with the Novel Prize City of Estepona, in collaboration with the renowned Manuel Alcántara Foundation and the publishing house Pre-Textos and the International Poetry Prize City of Estepona; awards that continue with new editions and that have been a support to the creators and an appreciated link of the city with culture and literature. Along with this, it continues to support local artists in all its expressions with initiatives such as the contest ‘Estepona Crea’ and with the important work carried out in the Casa de las Tejerinas as a space to accommodate authors and artists.

Social support

The first mayor has also referred to the strengthening of the social fabric and municipal collaboration with social organizations and associations that help people who are in a situation of vulnerability. In this way, he recalled that the City Council has unlimited social emergency aid so that no one has unattended their basic needs.

In terms of public safety have continued actions aimed at improving the material means with which these troops have, as well as to expand the workforce of agents, with the holding of public calls for new positions of Local Police.