Councillors in Marbella have drawn up a draft set of terms and conditions for the outdoor venue currently used only by the annual Starlite Festival to be rented out for other events during the year.

The large open-air space, an old quarry on the hillside above the Nagüeles area of the resort, is the home of Starlite in July and August; now the council has published on its website a list of proposed guidelines for using the site for other events so members of the public can give comments prior to its approval.

The old quarry is in an environmentally sensitive area and its owner, the Junta de Andalucía, leases it to the council which wants to see it used more often.

Meanwhile the council has approved the designation of the Starlite Festival as “of special interest”, which means that normal licensing rules and opening times can be relaxed. The proposal, as previously reported by SUR in English, aims to keep the festival in the town after organisers claimed that current restrictions on the after-concert lounge area were making the series of concerts unviable. Despite Starlite's new status, the council has yet to decide officially what the opening timetable can be.

Faced with criticism from opposition councillors over the granting of the special status, council spokesperson, Félix Romero, said, “This isn't a declaration that's been made out of thin air. A full administrative report has been carried out using a study by town hall staff.”