Here’s our usual weekly roundup of the interesting news from the Costa del Sol…

Appeal set for Marbella Town Plan – 3,000 Marbella holiday home owners will protest if the new plans to legalise ‘illegal’ properties go ahead.

Selling owners could rent out holiday homes – Holiday home owners looking to sell their Costa del Sol property could look to rent out to holidaymakers until the market picks up.

Marbella set for tourism cash injection – Marbella is set to receive a €11.5 million investment from the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Sports to increase tourism in the region and across the Costa del Sol.

It’s time for our usual quick 60 second round up of last weeks news from the Costa del Sol…

Condemned Marbella apartments advertised online – the Guardian Online revealed that apartments in Marbella which are set to be demolished are still being advertised for sale online.

James Hewitt no longer British – James Hewitt claims he no longer classes himself as British after starting a new life in Marbella on the Costa del Sol.

It’s time again to take a short step back in time and take a look at what’’s been making the headlines over the last week…

New beginnings – two major chains plan to open new locations in Marbella in the coming months with Marks and Spencer announcing a new Marbella store and popular American restaurant Hard Rock Cafe set to open in Puerto Banus.

Spain ranks well for health care – Spain was recently given the honour of offering its residents the second best quality of life in Europe based on a recent study into health care, holidays and lifestyle.

Politican attacks Costa del Sol health tourists – Spanish politician Juan Carlos Rodríguez blasted Brits that travel to Spain in order to receive free health care for treatments that aren’t available on the NHS.

It’s time once again to take a look at some of the snippets of news that made the headlines this week in the Costa del Sol. If you want to take a full look at our Costa del Sol news pages, visit our Costa del Sol news the archive.

Bull on the loose in Marbella a bull managed to escape from the local Marbella bullring last week and caused 40 minutes of mayhem in the town centre before being shot dead by police. Three women were injured although non seriously.

Journalists head to Malaga and Marbella two budget airlines set up trips with local tourist offices last weekend to encourage press coverage for the Costa del Sol during the winter months. The airlines hope to attract more tourists to the region for winter sun and city breaks.

We’ve decided to create a little feature to summaries some of the headlines from our Costa del Sol news section.
So he’s a look back on some of the headlines from the last week:

3 Million unsold spanish homes a report by real estate analyst R. R. de Acuña & Asociados revealed that there could be up to 3 million unsold homes either already on the market or set to go on the market during 2010.

Marbella developer goes on hunger strike Marbella based property developer Juan Carlos Carrasco Heredia went on a hunger strike claiming that he was owed €1.5 million by the local government.

Costa del Sol hotels set for winter closures The Costa del Sol Hoteliers Association believes that up to one third of Costa del Sol hotels could close during the up comming winter season.

As a result of the poor exchange rate it’s inevitable that tourism in the Costa del Sol would be affected. However the drop is probably not as drastic as many would have expected with Easter numbers expected to be down by just 8% according to figures released by CEHAT – the Spanish association of tourism accommodation and hotels.
But like any market when the demand drops off so does the price so there’s never been a better time to find low cost villas and apartments in the Costa del Sol. At Costadelvillas we showcase a variety of top quality holiday homes available directly from the owner. Renting directly from the owner often gives you better value then renting through an agency who will take a commission on top of the standard rental price. So why not contact an owner today and book a cheap villa in Malaga, or a cheap apartment in Puerto Banus.

I was reading in one of the local papers how they’re tightening up on planning regulations in the Costa del Sol. Now nobody likes being subject to ’red tape’ or having things refused because we haven’t fulfilled the terms and conditions but who can deny that we need full planning applications to be accepted by a local body.
So often planning applications seem to get  through ‘on a wing and a prayer’ how ever it’s important for all of us that they are properly scrutinised.
Apparently over the past twelve months there has been a thirty percent fall in the number of sanctions issued by Marbella Town Hall. They are reporting that it has more to do with the global recession than anything else. It also said that they had detected an average of 17 infractions each week in the municapility.  ‘Rogue traders’ or ‘Cowboy’ builders in Spain they’re known as ‘Chapuzas’. Makes you think doesn’t it!

With the drastic fall in Sterling against the Euro thousands of British expats living in the Costa del Sol are taking the short trip south the Gibraltar to stock up on essentials at a cheaper rate. Gibraltar is home to an M&S and the busiest Morrisons store in it’s chain of over 350 stores. The influx of expats and Spanish tourists and holiday makers looking for cheaper products has helped to ensure that Gibraltar’s economy has grown at a rate of 8% over the last year compared to 1% in the UK. Gibraltar has been able to grow by taking advantage of the low interest rates from the Bank of England, as the UK  into recession.

Spain is still a popular location for British property investors looking to buy a second home abroad according to recently released figures. The research is based on the number of internet searches for relevant property investment terms. Searches for Spanish investment terms have increased by 26%, a very significant increase especially when compared to similar figures for the USA for which searches have dropped by 57%.

The figures are supported by Spanish property experts who predict that the market is set to bottom out. The demand for property stands at an estimated 400,000 units per year, whilst the number of new homes being built has dropped significantly over the last two years, resulting in steadily increasing prices.

New tax laws now mean that Britons who sell on their Spanish property will not be charged 35% tax, whilst Spaniards are charged 15%.

One of the major factors effecting the upturn in market trends is the increase in discounts being offered by some of the Costa del Sol’s leading property agencies with several offering up to 30% discounts on their entire database of holiday homes.

The poor exchange rates from Sterling to Euros has obviously had an impact on the Spanish property market however it does mean that owners looking to sell and return to the UK can afford to lower the price of their home and still have more Sterling when they return to Britain.

There is also a belief that as prices drop to rock bottom large investment groups will soon begin to snap up property in large quantities reducing the supply and therefore increasing prices.

With this is mind Britons looking to buy in the Costa del Sol are urged to act quickly whilst fantastic holiday homes are still available at heavily discount prices. Large discounts mean that luxury two bedroom penthouses apartments are available from €190,000 and large 5 bedroom villas are on the market for just €295,000.

The market is also starting to be bolstered by Northern Europeans who are becoming increasingly attracted to the glamorous Spanish south coast. New buyers in the region also add increased competition for Britons looking to buy on the Costa.

Many Spanish property experts believe that the corner has been turned and the economy is steadily picking up. So if you’re looking for a great value holiday home in the Costa del Sol, this could just be one of the best times to buy.

Pedro Fernández Montes mayor of Torremolinos has defended the restaurants located on the towns beaches followingcriticism from Juan Carlos Martín Fragueiro (Secretary General for the sea) who insists they must be relocated away from the sand. Pedro Fernández Montes, described the criticism as an attack on the Costa del Sol, while in Benalmadena the Mayor, Javier Carnero, said the law did not understand the idiosyncrasies of this type of business.

The restaurants are one of the Costa del Sol’s many popular features with holiday makers and it’s clear that local authorities are not prepared relocated the businesses.