Plans to build homes, hotels and golf courses near the coast throughout the Malaga province have been put on hold because of a new law, according to local reports.

Development projects waiting to get under way will now be halted by a new law which prohibits the construction of buildings within 500 metres of the shoreline and aims to ‘scale down’ planning outlines that were originally planned as far back as the 1980s. In the province of Malaga the decree affects 11 towns and cities where plans were in place to build.

Estepona is one of the most affected areas where the construction of 16,751 properties is no longer guaranteed. This includes a scheme linked to the Saudi Arabian royal family which involved building a luxury residential development with 1,477 homes, a hotel and a golf course on 60 hectares of land.

There are also thousands of properties still waiting to go ahead in Punta Lara, La Noria and Fuente del Baden, in Nerja, which may be jeopardised by the new ruling. Plans to develop PlayazoBeach in Axarquia, with several hotels and tourist apartments may also now be dropped.