The plenary session of the Mijas Town Hall held on Wednesday morning unanimously approved a new ordinance regulating the proper use and enjoyment of the beaches which modifies the 2011 ordinance, the year in which the PP governed, recalled the mayoress of the municipality, Ana Mata (PP).

With this modification, the government team aims to update the regulations to adapt them to compliance with the obligations required by the Tourism Quality Management System 'Q for Tourism Quality', Environmental Management and Universal Accessibility, as well as those relating to the Blue Flag, Safe Tourism Certified or any other current or future management system. 

Among the novelties proposed, the ordinance contemplates that all boats must have a municipal authorisation to stay in the dry docks. In this regard, the absence of such a permit will mean the immediate withdrawal of the boat and its transfer to the municipal depot and subsequent destruction. Similarly, it also establishes that wooden chocks or other nautical material must be used as supports for the boats and not tyres, as well as a white canvas awning or one with blue and white stripes to protect them, and an identification plate with the name of the boat and its registration number must be placed in a visible area.

On the other hand, the use of the beaches of the Mijas coastline must bear in mind that the surface area of the public-land domain must be the minimum necessary for its correct operation and that, in the event of loss of sand caused by natural phenomena, this occupation will be adapted to the available surface area, respecting at all times the minimum distance of six metres from the shore at high tide. 

Likewise, the different uses must have a sufficient number of waste bins for the selective collection of waste, maintain the facilities in keeping with the aesthetics of the surroundings, and place and maintain a sign clearly indicating the price list, opening hours and area of occupation. 

In the words of the councillor for Beaches, Daniel Gómez Teruel (PP), "this ordinance is very necessary for the good of the Mijas coastline as it ensures the proper use of public spaces while caring for the flora and fauna of the area. It also raises safety issues such as the prohibition of bathing in nautical channels and dry docks, which must be properly marked and beaconed". During his intervention, Gómez Teruel also stressed the need for the central government to carry out a beach stabilisation plan, as has been "demanded for years".

This ordinance also regulates the opening hours for recreational fishing, which, during the bathing season, can only be carried out from 21:00 hours to 9:00 hours and always subject to the presence of users on the beach. In order to avoid injury and inconvenience to the right of way, the distance from the shore at high tide (6 metres) must be respected.

Regarding this document, the mayoress of the municipality, Ana Mata (PP), stressed the importance of "keeping our coastline in perfect condition, in all areas, because the beaches are our best letter of introduction". On this issue, she said that "the national government has to make a major effort in terms of regeneration and stabilisation of the beaches, a problem that we have been dragging for years. In the 2016 budgets, the PP already included this action in that year's budget but, so far and now with the government of Pedro Sánchez, we have had no response from the central executive". 

Impressions of the opposition 

The approval of this ordinance regulating the use and enjoyment of the beaches of Mijas had the favourable vote of the entire corporation although, according to the socialists, there are issues that need to continue to be worked on, "because we have to find a point of coexistence between those beach uses on the coast, such as hammocks or terraces, without neglecting the families who, daily, visit our beaches and also want a space to enjoy them", explained councillor Josele Gonzalez (PSOE). 

For his part, the spokesman for the Municipal Ciudadanos Group in the Mijas Town Hall, José Carlos Martín, recalled that this ordinance began to take shape in the previous term of office and that its preparation has taken into account contributions such as those made by Ecologists in Action, "and we hope that citizens comply with everything that is regulated in this document, because it will improve our beaches, which are so important for the municipality".

Share it with this link: https://mijasint.com/?a=29766