Malaga architects and building engineers disagree on proposal to temporarily ban flats in commercial premises

Professional associations in the fields of architecture and construction engineering in Malaga have met the city council's initiative to curb and regulate the conversion of commercial premises into housing with mixed reactions. While the association of architects supports the measure, the association of technical architects opposes it.

According to dean of the former Susana Gómez de Lara, "far from being a solution, these kinds of practices can exacerbate the housing problem", because they create residential units that don't meet the necessary standards of "sanitation and accessibility".

"Neighbourhoods cannot be turned into dormitory towns. The city's commercial fabric cannot be eliminated," Gómez de Lara stated.

In her opinion, the measure the urban planning department is preparing to establish a sort of moratorium on the conversion of commercial premises into housing is too little, too late. "We shouldn't wait any longer. Some may not think it's ideal, but we can't leave everything to chance. We can't make this type of solution the norm," she stated.

On the contrary, head of the building surveyors' association Leonor Muñoz stated that if regulations already exist for saturated zones to regulate tourist accommodations, "this measure makes no sense as a tool for controlling tourism activity".

She stated that, "with the serious lack of affordable housing, converting disused premises is a way for many people who otherwise cannot afford to buy or rent to access a home".

"Nowhere are businesses being shut down to make way for housing. We know this, because the technical architecture professionals who handle these projects have firsthand knowledge of the situation. These are disused premises and these conversions revitalise abandoned streets," Muñoz stated.

Similarly, Antonio Rueda from the AR Arquitectura e Ingeniería studio in Alhaurín de la Torre rejects the idea of halting the conversion of commercial premises into flats. For him, this method is "the only thing that's currently working in Malaga to provide many people with a place to live". "A good renovation can be done for around 30,000 euros," he stated.