More accessible, more shade and no fountain: the new church square in Los Boliches

At the time, the budget for the project was estimated at around one million euros, but in the end the investment will not be quite so ambitious: The works contract has been put out to tender for 363,345.04 euros.

The proposed project, however, retains the same core elements as the one put on public display. The square outside the church of the Virgen del Carmen and Santa Fe in Los Boliches will be better integrated into its surroundings and more accessible.

More shade will be provided and there will be a greater sense of space thanks to the removal of its current defining feature: the ornamental fountain featuring the sculpture honouring the fishermen of Los Boliches.

The fountain will be demolished, while the sculpture will be moved to a location not specified in the tender documents, though the area around the seafront promenade has always been under consideration.

The aim of the project is simply to renovate a space with an "ageing appearance" and "poor accessibility", as the council explained. It also currently lacks underground pipework, meaning that the two wooden kiosks in the square are supplied with electricity via overhead cabling.

The aim is to create a space with "greater accessibility, safety and comfort", to which end the layout will be reorganised and the obsolete infrastructure renewed. Once the works commence following the awarding of the contract, they must be completed within 105 days, just three and a half months.

The total area affected by the works is 550 square metres, and the project includes the resurfacing of the adjacent roads (Calle Iglesia, Calle Antonia de la Rosa and Avenida de Los Boliches), and "if the gradients allow, the level of Calle Iglesia will be raised to bring it into line with the square".

The square’s surface will be double-layered concrete, while the pedestrian crossings will be terrazzo; alongside these and around the trees, there will be prefabricated cobblestone paving.

The trees currently in the square will be retained and protected by tree pits, and these will be complemented by new trees and plants that will provide greater vegetation density, and require a new irrigation system.

As part of the project, the power supply will be upgraded and the existing light fittings will be replaced with new ones. Furthermore, the town hall has decided to prepare the new, larger Plaza del Carmen as a venue for small-scale events as part of the design of the area’s new street lighting.

Fuengirola town hall is about to award the contract for the comprehensive refurbishment of Calle Sevilla. “One of the streets in greatest need of urgent and extensive work,” according to the council, and for which local residents had been calling for action.

Probisa Vías y Obras will carry out the work; with a bid of 947,829.31 euros, it has beaten the other company that had submitted a tender, which was excluded due to its low score in the technical section.

The project, which is being carried out thanks to a grant from the Malaga provincial council (Diputación), involves a comprehensive refurbishment of Calle Sevilla, which is over 300 metres long.

Among the main work planned is the complete renewal of the pipes supplying water to the homes and premises along the street, as well as resurfacing. The project has also been designed to ensure that the existing parking spaces are retained.

So far this term of office, Fuengirola town hall has allocated more than 700,000 euros to three further infrastructure refurbishment and improvement projects in this area of Fuengirola.

These include the refurbishment of Plaza de San José, the regeneration of the area between Calle San Salvador, Calle Triana and Calle Sevilla, and the installation of a new water supply network in Calle Estepona, San Vicente, Goya, Doctor Ochoa and Núñez de Balboa.

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