Residents in Fuengirola are furious that camper vans are using public car parks for prolonged stays. Locals say the vehicles are staying longer than the permitted 48 hours and causing pollution.
Fuengirola is a town on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain, known for its sandy beaches and is a popular destination for tourists. The holiday resort doesn’t have a designated motorhome park with drivers instead using public car parking spaces to set up home during their visits. Local authorities say they have no plans to build caravan sites due to a lack of space and the need to incorporate access to electricity and drainage systems.
However, the town hall said police patrol the area regularly and can issue fines between €300 (£251) and €750 (£628) for non-compliance with parking regulations.
A spokesman for Spain’s far-right VOX party criticised local authorities for their lack of action, saying the disorderly proliferation of motorhomes is causing serious parking and “co-existence problems”. He went on to claim that motorhome owners had turned a local parking bay into their permanent residence, generating “waste and filth that the neighbourhood residents suffer.”
The president of the Association of Andalusian caravanners acknowledged the existence of a problem which needed to be addressed.
José Luis Quintero told the Spanish news outlet SUR: “This is not a problem exclusive to Fuengirola – it is something that can be witnessed all along the coast.”
A year ago, the Benalmádena Local Police evicted the majority of 200 motorhomes staying in the designated car park area, which has a limit of 29 vehicles of this type.
Meanwhile, local residents in Lanzarote are being forced to live in their vehicles due to a housing shortage caused by a proliferation of holiday rental flats.
The shortage and high cost of rented housing have increased the number of people living in vans in car parks around the island.
Housing appears to have become the main issue of concern for residents on the holiday island.
Over the last four years, since January 2021, the average sale price has increased by a whopping 40%, from €1,878 (£1,572) to the current €2,655 (£2,223) per square metre.
As a result, many people, from workers to small business owners, are unable to afford rent or mortgages on their meagre wages.