Typical, ban something that actually works

It took them long enough to ban it. For once something was actually working, rapidly generating housing in the neighbourhoods by recycling derelict spaces; it obviously couldn't last long in Malaga. That sort of thing is more suited to forward-thinking cities. The governing team at the city hall, which on housing is about as much use as a chocolate teapot, has decided that after 1,100 change-of-use licences, enough is enough. Heaven forbid the neighbourhoods should run out of space for shops that nobody wants to set up because they simply aren't viable. With online shopping, there's a whole category of retail that isn't coming back, so it doesn't make much sense to have so many ground-floor units sitting empty for commercial use. Apart from kebab shops, of course, there's always room for one more, even if there are already ten within 500 metres.

Over the past few years I've watched properties in my area, some empty for 20 years, filthy and riddled with rats, finally being put to proper use. If they were already useless two decades ago because running a local shop on a side street was a losing game, just imagine the situation now, when almost every clothes shop, shoe shop and electronics retailer has all but vanished.

Now, after a relatively affordable renovation lasting just a few weeks, people are actually living in these places, whether long-term, for a few months or just a few days. And it's that last point that has once again been used as the excuse to ban them. The governing team will tell you many are being used as tourist flats. Perhaps some are, but there are also plenty of young couples, migrants and people passing through who have found here a roof over their heads at a price that doesn't make your eyes water, which would otherwise have been completely out of reach.

If they don't want ground-floor units used as tourist lets, they should have the backbone to ban that specifically - they have more than enough tools to do so. But with this latest U-turn in their shambolic housing policy, all they'll achieve is ensuring a load of empty units continue to serve as a breeding ground for pony-sized rats for another absurd 20 years.