Costa del Sol town hall halts plans to install controversial mobile phone mast

Councillors in Vélez-Málaga unanimously approved a motion to suspend the project until an administrative process is completed

Eugenio Cabezas

Almayate

Monday, 1 July 2024, 15:56

Vélez-Málaga town hall on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol approved the immediate suspension of work to install a new mobile phone mast in the coastal village of Almayate during its last council meeting on Friday 28 June.

The move comes after protests by local residents that started in May. The residents asked the opposition political groups Andalucía por Sí, PSOE and Vox for help, and started a petition.

Councillors voted in favour of suspending the plans until the corresponding bureaucratic procedures are completed as “some documents are missing". The motion calls on the ministry for industry to review the licence granted for the mast.

Residents have voiced concerns that the pole would be located less than 200 metres from their homes, a primary school, a nursery and a library. However, at the time the owner of the plot of land where the mast is to be installed replied that Vodafone, the mobile phone company installing the mast "has all the permits".

During Friday’s meeting there was a confrontation between the spokesman for Andalucía por Sí, José Pino, and the mayor of Velez, Jesús Lupiáñez (PP). The Andalusian leader accused the mayor of "thinking that the people of Almayate are stupid", which provoked an angry reaction from Lupiáñez, who accused him of "lying and inventing these statements", asking him to "keep his decorum and not confront the residents".

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