Vélez-Málaga town hall unveils plans for five-star camping resort

Vélez-Málaga town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol has begun the planning process to build a five-star camping resort in the area around the Carretera de Torrox road, to the east of the town centre.

The initiative, being developed by the company Servicios Turísticos Marjal, involves an estimated investment of around 23.6 million euros and the creation of a tourist complex under the Alannia Costa del Sol brand.

The development would occupy 70,827 square metres of the total site area and involves the construction of 214 bungalows and 110 camping areas, as well as the leisure facilities and communal services typical of a tourist resort, including swimming pools, a spa, sports facilities, a restaurant, a supermarket and spaces for entertainment and events.

The complex would also include 266 parking spaces and a network of internal roads, with various themed areas catering to different types of visitors.

The proposal also includes extensive green spaces and pedestrian areas, with the aim of creating a tourist complex that blends seamlessly into its surroundings.

The initiative is proposed as a special development on rural land and therefore requires prior municipal authorisation in accordance with the Law on the Promotion of Territorial Sustainability in Andalusia (LISTA) before an application for planning permission can be submitted to Velez-Málaga town hall.

The planning application process began in January 2022, when the developer submitted the initial documentation to the town hall. Following several municipal technical reports on its planning viability, the project has been accepted for consideration and must undergo a public consultation process and a request for sectoral reports before final approval.

The plot on which the campsite is planned belongs to Sociedad Azucarera Larios Inmobiliaria, which has an agreement with the developer for the development of the tourist complex.

The area is classified in the municipal plan as non-sectorised developable land (SUNS-VM.1), a large zone situated between Vélez-Málaga and the coast which has been the subject of various urban development proposals for years.

The initiative comes at a time when Vélez-Málaga is seeking to diversify its tourism offer beyond residential and beach tourism, focusing on new models of tourist accommodation linked to family and nature tourism, which are increasingly in demand in Mediterranean destinations.

If the project secures all the necessary authorisations, the complex could become one of the largest new-build tourism projects in the Axarquía in recent years, bolstering the range of tourist accommodation in Vélez-Málaga.