Walter Finch
THE approval of a new luxury 150-metre skyscraper in the Port of Malaga has provoked an uproar over fears it will block out the city’s iconic lighthouse.
The grand 27-floor, five-star hotel has had to overcome various challenges in the previous eight years before finally being approved today.
Critics claim that the Qatar-funded project will obliterate one of the city’s historic landmarks in the La Farola lighthouse.
Specifically it has been argued that the skyscraper will violate the Law of Historical Heritage and affect La Farola’s status as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC).
Others complain that it will be located at the end of the Malagueta neighbourhood, accessible only on foot or by private transport for a location that will host large events and conferences.
“Is this really what the city and its citizens need precisely in this place?” Malaga architect Ico Montesino wrote on Twitter.
“How are they going to keep the entire La Malagueta neighbourhood from collapsing?”
He also points out that ‘the new skyscraper would alter and destroy the view of the Cathedral, the Alcazaba, the Park and even Gibralfaro from the coast, from the sea.’
Carmen Casero, the local councillor, batted away the criticisms, assuring that the project had watertight legal basis and that all loopholes had been addressed.
Carlos Rubio, President of the Port Authority, expressed optimism that the building would be completed in 2024, planned for the Levante dock near piers 1 and 2.
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