Famous singer's former restaurant to become a youth centre for Fuengirola

Isabel Pantoja's arrival in Fuengirola, and the subsequent opening of her restaurant, Cantora, caused much excitement in 2001. For a time, people from all over the world came to the restaurant because of their admiration for the singer, or simply for the gossip that surrounded her. The fact is that the business worked, or at least it seemed to, because soon after its opening, her son, Kiko Rivera, opened another business nearby: Cantora Kopas.

Both premises were neither bought nor rented, but awarded by the town hall itself to companies linked to the popular family through a 25-year non-extendable concession.

Cantora's boom ended up deflating after a few years and in 2005 it closed its doors. An Asian food chain moved in and stayed there for almost two decades, but last year it closed its doors and the building was left in a state of abandonment. Today, clothes can be seen hanging in its windows, a sign that despite its deterioration there are people living inside.

In the case of Cantora Kopas, the business ended up passing through the hands of different tenants who converted the space into discotheques and bars, mainly for nightlife. But the fate was the same, as it also ended up closing its doors.

Both concessions have already been rescued by Fuengirola town hall, according to municipal sources. This means that the buildings are now at the disposal of the council, which has just announced the launch of one of its star projects for this term of office, in one of the two premises.

This is the construction of a youth centre, which will be incorporated into the area that the municipal government calls Área Libre Fuengirola, an area of 230,000 square metres which includes the Sohail castle, the Marenostrum complex, the river park, the skate park, the calisthenics and parkour areas and the new nature park.

The tendering process for the refurbishment of the premises is already underway and five companies from the construction sector have submitted bids with the aim of starting work this year.

As the town's mayor, Ana Mula, explained at the presentation of the project, the new youth centre has been designed taking into account the proposals of more than 70 young people of the municipality, who submitted more than a hundred ideas for the facilities.

The project envisages an indoor area of more than 550 square metres that will consist of a large multifunctional room with recreational spaces, a restaurant area and a stage for concerts or shows; and the 'Crea' room, which will host training meetings or meetings in different fields. It will also include a gaming room, a board games room, a robotics room, as well as an outdoor terrace of just over 300 square metres, which will have chairs and picnic tables, as well as a small amphitheatre where smaller performances can be held or videos or films can be projected.

The municipal investment foreseen for this action is 1.7 million euros, financed with the surplus of the municipal financial year 2023. The initial execution period contemplated in the specifications is 240 days.