Torremolinos begins the refurbishment works of the area around the San Miguel hermitage.

The Torremolinos City Council has commenced the first phase of the refurbishment works in the Olivar Manantiales and Ermita de San Miguel area, which will be carried out by Genal Ingeniería y Paisajismo, SL, the company that won the tender against four other competitors, with a budget of 187,000 euros. The project, funded by the Next Generation funds, has a completion timeline of three months and aims to reorganize an area of about 50,000 m2. The goal is to enhance a space frequently used by many families for spending a day outdoors in nature, and where the San Miguel pilgrimage, Spain's most populous urban pilgrimage, is held annually at the springs, attracting thousands of people for a festive day around the city's patron saint. In this first phase, the entire plot will be enclosed with a wooden fence, and within it, a separate area will be designated as parking, which will also have a single access point controlled by a barrier to manage vehicle entry. The parking area will be constructed with natural landscaping so that it blends seamlessly with the surroundings and will have its own access lane, separate from the entrance fence to the rest of the premises. Improvements are also planned for the main vehicle access road to the premises, including controlling runoff by sloping the terrain towards a ditch, installing catch basins, and channeling towards the stream. On the platform where the hermitage is located, a wall will be erected to define the base of the slope and prevent soil and stone debris from moving down to the lower platform. Additionally, the access platform to the hermitage will be enhanced with a compacted base. "With this first phase, we begin a refurbishment plan that will continue with other investments to upgrade one of the most attractive and beloved recreational areas in the province," explained the mayor, Margarita del Cid (PP). The intervention includes pruning the olive trees and constructing tree pits, as well as relocating invasive or non-native plant species. This first phase lays the groundwork for, in the future, completing the environmental conditioning of the area, with recreational activities that are in harmony with the surroundings, for everyone's enjoyment. Therefore, from today until the completion of the works, the passage of people, pets, and vehicles through the construction area is prohibited for safety reasons and to prevent accidents.