Delays in the issuance of construction licenses and permits create a shortage in the Malaga housing market. In recent years, Malaga has demonstrated an unprecedented increase in the birth rate. But due to stagnation in construction, which hinders investment and real estate development, the housing stock cannot adapt to the current situation in the Andalusian region.
The analytical center Foro Regulación Inteligente reports more about this problem. The publication points out a decrease in approvals for houses by 91.14%. It takes more than a year to obtain licenses and, despite the introduced declarations, the problem remains unresolved, as they affect only 15% of projects.
Moreover, since more than half of the consultations with municipal urban services are conducted in person, delays in 2021 have become even longer in health regulations against coronavirus, which have extended the already protracted receptions.
Malaga is one of the most economically and socially prosperous provinces of Spain and Southern Europe. It is the third province with the highest population growth in 2019. It is three times that of Seville, five times that of Andalusia, with almost 26,000 new residents per year, before the pandemic.
However, growth may slow down significantly if the urban development model is not adapted to meet the needs of a market experiencing a shortage of supply.
It is necessary to build at least 10,000 houses a year, and preferably 20,000 to make up for the shortage. However, only about 3,000 construction projects were approved before the pandemic, and the indicators for 2020 and 2021 are even worse. The study says the housing shortage for 2015-2030 can be estimated at more than 60,000 people with a subsequent increase.