A mobile-phone mast on top of a building in Vélez-Málaga has been turned off following clashes between the rulling coalition and the PSOE opposition group.

The Deputy Mayor, Jesús Pérez Atencia, claims that the Town Council acted immediately after learning of locals’ complaints, whereas socialist opposition councillor Víctor González, has requested the full, case file to verify the urban-planning and legal conditions of the infrastructure.

The controversy began after González said of social media ‘The Mast is Back, pointing out that the another mobile mast had been erected on precisely the same spot where the original one had been removed 13 years ago, following complaints for numerous locals.

He also pointed out that the now Deputy Mayor, Pérez Atencia and his group had participated in the protests back then. “Today he is part of the local government and has the opportunity to demonstrate the same committment.”

The governing coalition (PP + GIPMTM) states that the Viña Málaga mast had been deactivated whilst they look into a lack of a legal status.

The GIPMTM leader claims that he maintains the same principles that he had defended thirteen years ago, although he considers that the current state framework leaves town councils with a much narrower margin for intervening. The General Telecommunications Law grants broad powers to operators to deploy their networks and prevents demanding prior municipal licenses in certain cases.

Deputy Mayor Atencia said that the Town Council stepped in upon findng that the infrastructure didn’t possess the corresponding legal permission at that time. “Action was taken following the very first neighbourhood complaint. The installation has been turned off while municipal staff analyse all the documentation and the legal situation. Those are facts. The rest is just Facebook posts and political opportunism,” he stated.

The controversy adds to other recent conflicts over phone masts in the municipality. In June 2024, the plenary session unanimously agreed to temporarily halt work in Almayate following resident protests and while administrative processing was being completed. locals had denounced the proximity of the structure to their homes and public facilities.

Six months later, complaints moved to the El Pilar area, where the Planning Department issued another immediate suspension order and nullified a responsible declaration while analysing the urban-planning compatibility of the infrastructure. In January 2025, the PP also put forward a motion to demand that the Government of Spain grant town councils greater decision-making capacity over these installations.

Most recently, in June 2026, the plenary session also backed the removal of a mast on Calle Médico Ros Alférez, in Torre del Mar.

(News: Velez-Malaga, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia – Source/Photo: E. Cabezas)

Keywords: Mobile Mast Controversy, Viña Malaga, PP, GIPMTM, Legal Documents Deficiency

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