New one-million-euro recreational area opens at Axarquía reservoir

The president of the Diputación de Málaga, Francisco Salado and the mayor of La Viñuela, José Juan Jiménez, inaugurated the new space, located on the perimeter of the reservoir and used by thousands of people throughout the year. The event was also attended by other mayors of the Axarquía area.

The work involved installing new tables, benches and lampposts, extending the green areas, refurbishing the visitor reception area and replacing the furniture in both the children's playground and the dog park.

Salado stressed that the action is part of the Diputación's commitment to promote inland areas of Malaga province through the care of natural heritage and the promotion of tourism and leisure activities in nature. "The Diputación de Málaga has contributed one million euros to improve and refurbish this recreational area, which was in need of a major refurbishment, as it had deteriorated over time," he said.

Salado also highlighted that the Diputación, along with La Viñuela and Periana town halls, carried out the reforestation of some 40,000 trees and shrubs in the most degraded areas with the least vegetation cover around the reservoir in 2023.

The work was designed by Tourism and Planning Costa del Sol, with the collaboration of the technicians of the Diputación and La Viñuela town hall, which was responsible for contracting the works.

The work carried out included the replacement of picnic tables and benches, the refurbishment of the toilets, the creation of new landscaped areas, the planting of Mediterranean shrubs and the superficial rehabilitation of the entrance to the reservoir by fencing and signposting. The car parks in the visitor reception area have also been reorganised and enlarged and the accesses have been improved.

The Diputación and the town hall are seeking to reinforce the functionality of an area that attracts visitors at weekends, on public holidays and in good weather. Salado and Jiménez also visited the remodelling of the football pitch, co-financed with almost 200,000 euros. The renovation of the fencing of the sports facilities and the replacement of the main switchboard of the electrical installation have been carried out.

The project was awarded last autumn by La Viñuela Town Council to the company Hormigones Asfálticos Andaluces S.A., with an award budget of 835,576 euros and an initial deadline of 84 days. The initial tender was for more than one million euros and the funds came entirely from the Diputación.

The area around La Viñuela reservoir has regained prominence in recent months following the improvement in water reserves compared to the hardest years of the drought.