Those of you with long memories will recall, way back in 1987, the destruction of almost all the chiringuitos on the beach in La Herradura, to comply with the Ley de Costas (Law of Coasts).
It was felt at the time that the beaches of Spain were becoming over populated with these eating establishments, and that they posed a very strong threat to both the beach and marine environment.
There was later an agreement reached and some were rebuilt, and there were quite strict rules put in place on how many, how close together and how close to the sea they were allowed to be.
There is now talk of clearing the beaches again, and Costas are making noises that things have to change.
Speaking with our chiringuito contacts, it appears that after a meeting with Costas, they agreed to relax their stance somewhat and that most if not all of the existing chiringuitos will remain.
Harsh? Maybe, but I suppose at least someone is keeping an eye on just how much encroachment there is onto the beach, and perhaps it’s not so bad that the owners know Costas have their eye on them, and they can’t just do as they please with our beaches… let’s face it, there has to be limits, and at least this way we wont see the return of the bulldozers.