Popular Torre del Mar beach bar pulled down after 18 years of operating without licence

Spain's coastal authority, La Demarcación de Costas, has carried out the demolition of Berebere beach bar, situated on the western end of the beach in Torre del Mar on eastern Costa del Sol.

The bar was closed down by Vélez-Málaga town hall in October 2025 for not having a municipal licence. The demolition brings to an end a business that had been operating for 18 years.

The action taken by the coastal authority and the town hall has provoked a strong reaction from the owner of the business, José María Alba, who told SUR that he regretted the outcome and argued that the business “had been trying for years to regularise its situation”.

Alba maintains that he had a favourable, albeit not yet final, court ruling following an initial attempt by Vélez-Málaga town hall to close the premises in 2021.

Subsequently, following the closure order issued last October, the business owner lodged another administrative appeal, although the interim measures he had requested were not granted in those proceedings. This development ultimately enabled the coastal authority to take action, leading to the demolition of the building.

Alba explained that the coastal authority had suggested considering an alternative location for the beach bar. However, Alba claims that this solution was not found "due to a lack of support from the town hall". He explained "The coastal authority gave me the option of finding an alternative location, setting the beach bar back 30 metres, but the town hall has not supported me."

The business owner also maintains that the closure has forced him to initiate a redundancy procedure for 23 staff and argues that his business was in “a similar situation to that of 15 other bars in Torre del Mar with licence applications currently being processed”. In his case, he states that he had been trying to regularise the business’s operations since 2016.

“I don’t want them all to be shut down; what we were asking for was common sense and support for business owners,” argued Alba, who pointed out that Berebere had established itself as a well-known venue in Torre del Mar. He added that Berebere had been awarded a ‘Solete’ by the Repsol Guide, a recognition which, in his view, demonstrated its gastronomic and tourist significance. Furthermore, it appeared on the ‘Best Chiringuito 2024’ list in ‘Tapas’ magazine.

In a statement posted on its social media accounts, Berebere bid farewell to its customers on Monday 15 June with a message announcing that “tomorrow, Berebere will be demolished for good”. In the statement, the family running the business stated that, after months of seeking a solution, they had managed to get the coastal authority to agree to a relocation’ but accused Torre del Mar mayor’s office of failing to support this approach.

"After 18 years of love, laughter and good food, the time has come to say goodbye,’ the statement said. The message also thanked customers and friends for their support over almost two decades of business: “Thank you for making our home your home. You are the reason why all of this was worth it.” In August 2018, the restaurant suffered a devastating fire, which forced the owner to completely rebuild it.

Torre del Mar's mayor’s office has responded with an official statement in which it rejects the accusations and argues that it is "inaccurate" to attribute responsibility to it for decisions which, it maintains, fall within the remit of other authorities or are the result of court rulings. The statement points out that concessions and authorisations relating to public beaches are governed by the Coastal Act and its implementing regulations.

The official statement points out that, if the relocation proposed by the bar were feasible and had the backing of the competent authority, it would be up to that authority to carry out the legally established procedures. The mayor’s office insists that an authorisation whose processing depends on other bodies cannot be transferred to the town hall.

"No public official may directly award a site, contract or authorisation on public land outside the legally established procedures," the statement maintains. The mayor’s office added that any business project seeking to be established on municipal land must submit the relevant application, demonstrate its technical and legal viability and undergo the appropriate town planning, heritage and public procurement procedures.

The statement also rejects the suggestion that this action implies a lack of support for the business community. The mayor’s office states that for almost two decades there has been an "exceptional situation" linked to the activities carried out by this bar, including unforeseen circumstances that allowed it to continue operating. However, it maintains that, when the authority responsible for the land and the competent bodies act within the scope of their powers, the town hall cannot grant authorisation within a matter of days for a matter that requires technical reports and legal procedures.

“Support for business owners must not be confused with the possibility of making exceptions to the law,” states the official document. The mayor’s office maintains that the best guarantee for entrepreneurs, shopkeepers and hospitality industry operators is that the rules are the same for everyone and that access to public goods and spaces “is granted with objectivity, transparency and free competition”.

The statement concludes that the mayor's office “has been, is and will always be on the side of those who generate employment, wealth and opportunities”, but always within the legal framework. Furthermore, it rejects any claims seeking to hold it responsible for decisions beyond its remit and reserves the right to take whatever action it deems appropriate to defend its institutional integrity and the accuracy of the facts.

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