THE Canadian multinational CNWL OIL is set to begin prospecting for oil and gas off the coast of Nerja and Torrox. The surveys, which will last for approximately one month, will cover a marine area of 150,000 hectares. It comes after the controversial project, which has been in the pipeline since 2006, was licensed by [...]

SPAIN’S new leader Mariano Rajoy will have the ultimate say in whether to allow the prospecting for gas off the Costa del Sol. While locally PP bosses insist drilling off Mijas would be a disasterous idea for tourism, Madrid’s environment department has already given it the go ahead. Now, Rajoy will have to decide if [...]

GREENPEACE has slammed a proposal to prospect for gas on the Costa del Sol. The global pressure group has called for an immediate halt to the exploration project, which could cause ‘chronic contamination’ and a lasting impact on marine life. Spanish boss Sara Pizzinato insists that the scheme proposed off Mijas ‘poses a huge risk [...]

By Caroline Peal FORMER UN chief Kofi Annan has slammed Costa del Sol planners who have allowed the coastline to become overdeveloped. Speaking to a packed conference hall in Marbella, Annan said planners should have been more careful. “Before rolling out a tourism strategy, one has to make sure that the development is sustainable from [...]

LOOKING for somewhere to explore this weekend? There is nothing better than having all the latest insider knowledge to pinpoint the hottest new restaurant, or most charming local hotel. Written exclusively by our team of local journalists and writers – including celebrities such as Driving Over Lemons author Chris Stewart (‘All about the Alpujarras’) or [...]

MARBELLA Town Hall has rejected the government backed plan to search for oil and gas off the Costa del Sol. Mayor Angeles Muñoz considers the measure ‘diametrically opposed to tourism’, and has set her Conservative PP party against the measure. The mayor, who was voted in last year, insists it puts the environment of the [...]

THE Malaga authorities are to debate an audacious plan to turn the mountains that hug the Costa del Sol into a giant nature reserve. By Wendy Williams The scheme proposed by the IU opposition party would see the Sierra de Mijas turned into a Natural Park to prevent it from being destroyed by further construction. [...]

A PLAN to drill for gas off the Costa del Sol could endanger the livelihoods of millions of Andalucians. By Sara Wallace The drilling site proposed by Repsol-YPF is located just nine kilometers offshore from the top tourist spots of Mijas, Cabopino and Fuengirola. Green group Ecologistas en Accion has slammed the scheme, which it [...]

JUST a short drive away from the Costa del Sol lies some unforgettable scenery, rich in history, begging to be discovered on foot, writes Mark Davidson Most people’s idea of a perfect holiday can be found just 15 minutes up the coast from Malaga airport. Yet a 90-minute drive away from the airport will take [...]

NERJA is being blamed for the poor water conditions along the Costa del Sol. A new group, the Integral Sanitation Forum, was formed to put pressure on towns that dump sewage both in the sea and inland into rivers. In particular, the group is extremely concerned with the black-spot of Nerja, which is the only [...]