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
BUILDING BEAUTY INTO NATURE
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MARCH 2025 AUGUST
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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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EYEOPENERS
Discover some of the very best of Spain’s architecture in our property magazine inside
OVE MAKE THE M
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
Dirty Dozen The Brit crooks who gave Spain a bad name - and inspired a film See Page 6
Thermometer rising
SPAIN’S latest heatwave has officially become the most intense ever recorded, according to national weather agency AEMET. Blazing from August 8 to 17, the scorching spell was a staggering 4.6°C hotter than average, breaking the previous record of 4.5°C set in July 2022. It lasted a brutal 16 consecutive days – the longest and hottest mid-August stretch since records began – and produced the warmest run of 10 days since at least 1950.
Shattered
Over 200 local temperature records were shattered, mostly in the north and west. Health warnings soared and wildfire risks spiked. Provisional data shows the first 20 days of August 2025 were the hottest since 1961, with AEMET predicting the full month will rank among Spain’s four hottest Augusts ever. Of Spain’s 20 hottest periods on record, five belong to this single heatwave, with the remaining 15 all occurring since 2022. Since 1975, Spain has logged 77 heatwaves, but the six most intense have all hit since 2019.
VOTE, OR ELSE
BRITISH expats in Spain may face a £20 (€23.50) fine for failing to vote in UK elections under a proposal by Labour peer Lord Foulkes. He plans to introduce an amendment to the elections bill, calling for Australian-style compulsory voting. The plan would apply to all eligible UK voters, including the three million living abroad. Foulkes argues the fine would encourage participation, not punish non-voters. Expats recently regained lifelong voting rights under the 2022 Elections Act. Details on enforcement remain unclear, and the proposal must still pass through Parliament—meaning changes are unlikely before 2026 at the earliest.
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SPAIN IN FLAMES
Police arrest 48 for arson as wildfires continue to blaze and 16 regions declared disaster zones
By Dilip Kuner
SPAIN’S countryside is still burning - and police say arsonists are to blame for many of the blazes that tore through forests, farmland and homes, killing four people. Police have revealed that 48 suspects have been arrested and 134 more are under investigation for suspected arson since June. So far this year, more than 400,000 hectares of land - over twice the average in recent decades - have been consumed by fire Hundreds of firefighters remain on the ground tackling the 12 ‘large fires’ still burning. The biggest infernos include the fire in A Rua (Ourense), which scorched 44,424 hectares and became Galicia’s biggest blaze on record, while Uña de Quintana (Zamora) burned through 40,781 hectares The government has declared 16 of the country’s 17 regions ‘disaster zones’. Only the Basque
Country has been spared. Under the designation, affected residents and businesses will be entitled to compensation for damaged property and emergency support for rebuilding. In the Costa da Morte region of Galicia, two men from Olveiroa (A Coruña) were cuffed in ‘Operation Coppair’ over eight separate wildfires. Investigators say the pair sparked the blazes while burning stolen copper cable to strip it for sale on the black market. Using petrol and blowtorches, they allegedly set fires in remote, wooded spots - but left them smouldering and unattended. The resulting infernos caused around €20,000 in damage and threatened towns including Camariñas, Cee, Dumbria, Vimianzo and Zas.
Further south in Malaga province, another man has admitted to starting six wildfires in Teba. Some were lit just metres from people’s homes. Locals’ tips led police straight to the suspect, who confessed during questioning. Meanwhile in Castilla y Leon, three separate cases rocked the region. A man in Zamora is accused of accidentally setting off a blaze in Puercas de Aliste–Gallegos del Rio that swallowed 3,000 hectares. In Leon, another is under investigation for an ‘unintentional’ fire in Filiel–Lucillo and in Avila, officers say a man deliberately torched land in Cuevas del Valle, Mombeltran and El Arenal - destroying 2,200 hectares. Elsewhere, a 48-year-old man was arrested near Madrid after
allegedly setting off a blaze in the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares reserve that scorched 31 hectares of protected grassland. In Extremadura two men have been arrested for setting a fire to ‘clear undergrowth to enable hunting’. Perhaps most shocking of all, in Avila province a firefighter admitted to setting a fire himself, telling investigators he wanted the extra work, while in Galicia, a 63-yearold woman in Muxía is being probed over five separate fires, while younger suspects in Ourense and Celanova face charges for deliberately torching forestland. Almost 90 administrative fines have already been issued for breaches of fire safety laws.
THE EUROPEAN DENTAL PRACTICE
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TOLL: Homes have been destroyed while thousands of people have battled the flames
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