The company that developed Manchester’s Trafford Centre shopping complex is to try and recreate the plans on the Costa del Sol.

Peel Holdings has been given the go ahead to build a shopping mall similar in design to the one in north-west England, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Torremolinos will be the location for the 80-acre site, which is said to cost £500 million to construct.

Lindsey Ashworth, who is set to lead the project, told the newspaper: “While there will obviously be a flavour of the original Trafford Centre, the major difference is, because it’s in a warm climate, it can be outward-facing.”

The company representative added that bars and restaurants around the complex will have terracing, while some will be constructed around a lake.

Millions of Britons head to the Costa del Sol for their holidays every year, while many decide to purchase property in this part of Spain.

Leap year babies are being invited to celebrate their unusual birth dates together in style by attending a huge party in Malaga this year.

The Leap Association of people born on February 29th is organising the event, which hopes to bring together as many leap year babies as possible.

It is hoped that the get-together will get into the Guinness World Records for the highest number of people born on February 29th getting together in the same place.

The current record is held the gathering of 340 leap year babies which took place in Norway.

The celebration will be held at the La Brasa restaurant in the Alameda Principal.

Malaga is a great place to celebrate in style and has been increasing in popularity in recent years, since the opening of its Picasso Museum in 2003.

Over the next ten years, it is expected that many improvements will be made to the city as it vies for the title of European Culture Capital in the year 2016.

The regional government of Andalucia is attempting to make the area safer by banning the ownership of dangerous animals.

Under the new system, large reptiles, poisonous insects and large primates will not be allowed in Andalucian households and people who flout the law could be hit with a fine of €115,000

People living in the region who already own such pets will be given a six-month period to take the forbidden animal to their local city hall and hand it over, Homes Worldwide reports.

Andalucia is the first region in Spain to introduce this type of legislation and officials hope that the new law will prevent deadly species such as snakes from escaping into rural areas and breeding.

The regional government believes that the regulations should enable homeowners on the Costa del Sol to live in a safer environment.

According to southern Spanish newspaper Sur, the new regulations also include an extensive reclassification of dangerous dog categories.

Ski resorts in Spain are becoming more popular with winter holidaymakers while maintaining their competitive prices, it has been claimed.

According to Homes Worldwide, Spain’s ski resorts were largely “ignored by anyone outside the country” until recently, but are now gaining a reputation as some of the best skiing locations in Europe.

In addition, resorts such as those in the Sierra Nevada have a unique selling point which other popular skiing destinations such as France and Switzerland cannot compete with - their proximity to the Costa del Sol means that holidaymakers can take to the slopes and then sunbathe on the beach a couple of hours later.

The website stated: “If you are thinking of investing in a Spanish property, perhaps its time to consider the slopes as well as the costas.”

Property owners may not have to make this choice, however, as the relatively short distance from the Sierra Nevada National Park to Costa del Sol locations such as Malaga and Velez-Malaga allows people to enjoy the best of both worlds - winter snow and summer sun.

Foreign buyers now account for one in seven properties sold in Malaga province, according to figures recently reported by southern Spanish newspaper Sur.

Despite the massive popularity of Costa del Sol resort towns like Marbella, real estate advisors have claimed that top bargains can still be struck on beachside properties.

Information portal Easier.com said that beachfront apartments and villas with “uninterrupted golf views” could be found in close proximity to Marbella for prices below €400,000 (£286,000).

Explaining what could be snatched up for the reasonable price tag, Easier.com said that two bedroom two bathroom properties with access to leisure facilities like swimming pools and putting greens were still a real bargain possibility.

The site highlighted the bargain value of property in the highly sought-after Estepona area of the Costa del Sol, to the west of Malaga and Marbella – expounding the myth that beachfront property in top locations came only at a high price.

Beachfront houses with close proximity to golf courses are some of the most sought-after in Spain, with southern areas like the Costa del Sol boasting world famous golfing sites like the Valderrama course, host of the Ryder Cup in 1997.