Urban planning

Benajarafe promenade is looking forward to a brighter summer

Vélez-Málaga town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol has replaced 62 street lights in the coastal village with LED technology, which will result in energy savings of approximately 66 per cent

Mayor and councillors on Benajarafe promenade. (SUR)

SUR

24/06/2026 a las 08:29h.

Vélez-Málaga town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol has completed a comprehensive upgrade of the street lighting along Benajarafe promenade and its surrounding ... area. The project has involved replacing 62 street lights with LED technology, which should improve energy efficiency, safety and the appearance of one of the busiest public spaces in the coastal village.

Mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, explained that the project is in response to a request from local residents and that it “represents a clear improvement in lighting, helps to reduce energy consumption and moves us towards a more sustainable and efficient municipality”. The mayor argued that the project will have a direct impact on residents’ quality of life and on the safety of public spaces.

The replacement of 62 LED streetlights will result in energy savings of 65.9 per cent and improve safety along the promenade

The investment allocated to the renewal of the street lighting amounts to 35,694 euros and forms part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. According to figures provided by the town hall, replacing the street lights will result in energy savings of approximately 65.87 per cent.

From a technical perspective, the installed power has been reduced from 11.47 kilowatts to 3.28 kilowatts. In economic terms, and based on current tariffs, the annual electricity consumption of the 62 lights will fall from around 6,433 euros to 2,195 euros.

In addition to improving the street lighting, the town hall has also carried out work to repair the pavements, restore tree pits and refurbish kerbs. The empty tree pits on the central reservation of the N-340 coastal road as it passes through Benajarafe have also been restored, with the planting of around 90 shrubs.

The town hall has repaired pavements, tree pits and green spaces to improve safety and aesthetics

These improvements to the pavements and green spaces have involved an investment of 15,946 euros, funded through the 2025 PFEA Environment programme. The town hall said that the work will remove damaged sections that could pose a risk of falls due to tripping hazards and improve the overall appearance of the area.

The refurbishment of the street lighting along the Benajarafe seafront promenade follows on from other similar projects recently carried out along Torre del Mar's promenade, where 744 lights were replaced at a cost of around 320,000 euros, funded by the European Union.

The town hall said in a statement that these investments form part of a strategy to modernise the Vélez-Málaga coastline, with initiatives aimed at improving energy efficiency, renovating public spaces and enhancing the tourist appeal of the coastal towns. “We are continuing to work on modernising our municipality’s coastline, committed to a model of a more efficient, sustainable, safe and attractive town for both our residents and our visitors,” concluded Lupiáñez.