t Meet the architec whose elegant designs are as breathtaking as they are modern
PropertyMalaga gets the S pro pain in pert ’s be En y m st gli a sh g
Man made
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MARCH 2025 AUGUST
Zaha Hadid touch
for long-term subsidised homes of luxury and ces alongside 80 balance southern Spain local residents - bringing a an industrial pocket that’s sizzling in once T’S not just the sun a bold architectural makeo- community to what was king. - Malaga is getting as it is groundbrea have of the city. is equally consideat ground level beneath dramatic Architects ver, and it’s as glamorous The streetscape out at Zaha Hadid The global icons of a new 21-storey residential red. Cafes and shops spill courtyards and and it's nothing white overhangs, while landscaped just unveiled pictures and locals to minin the El Bulto area, waves of invite both residents stunner set to rise l theatre. Sculptural ya- public plazas palm short of architecturawrap skyward like a luxury gle. under golden lighting, on sleek glass and concrete - and each floor is a fluid ripple Think balmy evenings glasses diners clinking forms. cht caught mid-saillines and seamless design. trees swaying, and sculptural t fluidity nestled between of balconies, softthe sparkling Mediterranean coast new terracesHadid fashion, it’s all high-concep fully rebeen Perched along Malaga’s busy marina, the In true Interiors haven’t n scheme. and right beside n minimalism paired and no harsh angles. a wider regeneratio expect ultra-moder the rhythm tower is part of alone, it’s clear the project is going un- vealed, but natural finishes, all tuned to From the renders statement. The tower’s sleek, with elegant and shadow throufor a bold aesthetic Malaga is fast soft of the coast. plays with light of this showpiece, dulating façade blending a futuristic edge with With the addition destination to rival Barcelonabe can design a zone ghout the day, industrial ma- becoming organic curves. glass ensures that views of the pa- proof that even a once-grim and a whole lot vision, investment, d and truly Floor-to-ceiling reimagined with are uninterrupte rina and coastline of architectural swagger. high-end residennoramic. t promises 153 The developmen
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OLIVE PRESS
THE government has won a Supreme Court battle against a local bar owner which clears the way for a controversial new national football stadium – but leaves the small businessman facing massive legal bills. Allan Asquez, who ran El Murga bar at Victoria Stadium for over 20 years, challenged the government’s decision to terminate his tenancy using emergency public interest powers. The court upheld the controversial Section 66 notice, ruling the government acted lawfully to seize the premises for a UEFA Category 4 stadium development.
Costs
The government claims Asquez demanded £2 million compensation - 17 times his legal entitlement of £115,440. The bar owner denies it. Asquez hit back, accusing the government of ‘intimidation and heavy-handed tactics’ – not least of all in hiring a reported £5,000-an-hour barrister from London at the taxpayer’s expense to prosecute its case. He now claims the government is seeking £200,000 in legal costs from him while pointing out that the beneficial owners of the ‘multi-million pound mixed commercial, residential and sporting development’ have never been disclosed. He is set to appeal the court’s decision.
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rs are being urged monthly more EXPAT homeowne have an average the avmortgages as above mort- in Madrid to review their loans to different of €4,600, well seen fixed-rate The trend has the market, account- incomenationally of €3,900, while the people switch their the gages dominateall new home loans - a erage banks. requested for in save money taken hold as lenders average amount for 80% of at €288,000 The trend has advised they could y attractive switching ing bank transfer stands in- Expats in Spain historic high. are offering increasingl their mortgag- the capital. eight consecutive mortgages as bank homeownfor Among those moving deals following by the European Cen- by reviewing their suggests expat 75% are opting t rate cuts to new banks, highest level since The data save significant money by terest rate cuts past year. thanks to interes the wave of mortgage changes esfixed-rate the arers could rises deals, as mortgage trend tral Bank over the known current “After caused by soaring reviewing their 4.5% Moving your mortgage in 2022 and 2023 are now excellent early 2022. the charge in requests rangements. Spain - rose to in the expect By Walter Finch ‘subrogacion’ in Euribor rates, there conditions being Madrid leads experts don’t to new banks, operations mixed-rate to move mortgagesof all applications However, ching activity to return of all new mortgage at Idealista. deals fixed and of 2025. of autumn second quarter increase since late Several lenders are now offeringbonus- offered,” said Juan Villen, encourag- representing 26.7% by Catalunya at bank-swit record levels This is the firstto data from idealista/ at around 2.5% with maximum signed “Banks are even activelymortgages, nationwide, followed at 14.2% - key to thewhen it peaked at over 16% variable Andalucia 2023, being 2023, according ing those with who signed fixed- 22.8% and markets. es, with some operations all operations. below. hipotecas. well as some levels, to review expat propertyto move their mortgage of as the ECB has close to 2% or even ly reduce as Those seeking The surge comesinterest rates down at will undoubted provide rate deals at higher Switching .” and driven eurozone their mortgages Spanish banks monthly payments to just 2%, prompting ly attractive fixed- greater stability. to offer increasing . rate mortgages
GIBRALTAR
He shoots, he scores
Discover some of the very best of Spain’s architecture in our property magazine inside
OVE MAKE THE M
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Vol. 10 Issue 255
EYEOPENERS
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37 people arrested and 89 under investigation for sparking fires that have scorched 382,000 hectares of Spain
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SCAN here for the latest news August 27th - September 9th 2025
Hard border limbo Gibraltar faces possible hard border with Spain for three months as frontier removal date penciled in for 2026
GIBRALTAR is facing the prospect of a hard border with Spain for a number of months while the agreement to remove the border awaits ratification. A date has now been tentatively set for the border fence to be dismantled in January 2026. However, the EU’s new Entry Exist System (EES) digital border control is due to be incrementally rolled out at different border points within the bloc starting on October 12. Every entry point into the EU is set to operate the EES by April 9, giving a six month window of uncertainty as to when it will be implemented at the Gibraltar border. While Spain’s Foreign Ministry has declined to specify when this will be, the Olive Press has already seen the infrastructure expansion carried out on the Spanish side, with rows of brand new biometric scanners having
NEW: EES border gates
By Walter Finch
been recently installed. The original passport control room has also been significantly amped up, taking up around three times the space. It raises the grim spectre that Gibraltar will have to wrestle with the suffocating embrace of a hard border with Spain for a number of months. Sighs of relief were breathed when a wide-ranging political agreement on the future of the Rock was finally reached in June. Among many of the complicated issues addressed was the removal of the checks on vehicles and people crossing back and forth between Spain and Gibraltar. But there will be a lag of several months until the final legal text is ratified and becomes a reality. And even the January date is optimistic. El Pais reports that the text must first be translated into 23 languages and then approved by the European Parliament, where unexpected obstacles could still arise thanks to MEPs who might be opposed to the deal. When contacted by the Olive Press, the Gibraltar government pointed out that it
hasn’t endorsed this timeline but it was ‘working towards achieving the earliest timetable possible.’ The EES will oblige entrants to the bloc to undergo rigorous checks, including having their fireprints and faces scanned and entered into a new digital database.
Delays
While this will only be required from travellers just once, it will likely entail initial delays and long queues for Gibraltar citizens and British passport holders. Reciprocal checks can be expected for the 15,000 EU workers who cross the border each day, posing the risk of huge delays that could temporarily cripple shops and businesses around Gibraltar.
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The last time the Rock faced such a scenario, on October 11 when the so-called ‘rogue Spanish police chief’ gave orders to stamp Gibraltar passports, operations at St Bernard’s Hospital had to be postponed because cross-border workers could not make it for their shifts. When quizzed on whether contingency plans had been made for this eventuality, or if the implementation of the EES might be delayed at the Gibraltar border, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told the Olive Press: “We are all ambitious for as early agreement on text and ratification as possible in order to achieve the earliest timetable possible for treaty text agreement, ratification and implementation.” The mayor of Spanish border town La Linea de la Concepcion said he welcomed the plans to ‘demolish’ the border fence, but the town ‘needs to be informed transparently.’ Having not been kept informed of the supposed timeline, Juan Franco called on the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to set up an urgent meeting ‘to address a matter of utmost importance that directly affects our municipality.’
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