Throughout the pandemic chiringuitos have had to use ingenuity to increase the scanty number of tables permitted - they extended their terraces.

The trouble is, the Junta de Andalucía is not happy with their occupying a little more beach area, because some chiringuitos have pushed their beach occupation… and luck, a little too far.

The Junta has consequently fined, or is in the process of, 15 chiringuitos for the “improper occupation of public space.” Some of the expanding 15 have actually doubled their officially permitted beach occupation area.

But it was local residents who ‘bubbled’ the expanding chiringuitos in such areas as the Playa de San Cristóbal, for example. It’s the Junta, rather than Costas that issues the licences for chiringuitos so the complaints ended up on their hungry desks.

The provincial delegate has two inspectors under his or her authority, whose full-time activity is to keep an eye on the chiringuitos. These beach establishments are permitted to occupy 70 sq/m if they can be dismantled and 300 sq/m for permanent structures.

Now, if the chiringuito or beach establishment does not have a licence at all, then it is the merciless Costas that swings in to deal with it, bless their cotton socks.

Coinciding with this situation, Almuñécar Town Council has decided to extend the temporary authorisation to bars, restaurants to occupy extra public space for outside terrace areas until the 30th of September, 2021. This measure was originally brought in precisely to give these kinds of establishments a breather from the occupation restrictions to tackle Covid contagion.

This is great news for bars, cafes and restaurants in town, where the Town Hall is in charge, but on the beach where the hungry Junta and cruel Costas hold sway….

Bonus fact: the number of requests for a terrace area has increased by 43% across Spain.

(News: Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)