Malaga’s iconic Bobby Logan club to become boutique hotel as planning hurdles cleared
City hall takes the first step to transform the 1990s nightlife landmark on Avenida Juan Sebastián Elcano into a four-star tourist destination under new regional planning laws
The long-abandoned site of Malaga’s legendary Bobby Logan nightclub is finally set for a new lease of life.
After sitting dormant since 1993, the property owners have secured the first crucial "green light" from the city council to bypass long-standing urban restrictions and pave the way for a boutique hotel.
For over three decades, any redevelopment of the plot on Avenida Juan Sebastián Elcano was stifled by the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU).
However, using the flexibility of Andalucía’s new LISTA planning law, owners Componentes Textiles Industriales have successfully decoupled the site from neighboring plots, allowing development to proceed independently.
While the project is still being finalised, current plans envision a four-star hotel featuring 30 to 45 rooms. The design is expected to include a ground floor plus three stories and a penthouse, totaling a buildable area of 1,400 square metres.
The breakthrough came after years of deadlock. Previously, urban planners suggested the 1960s structure should be "recovered for public use," despite having no official architectural protection. The new proposal solves this by splitting development rights with a plot across the Pilones stream, which will likely be used for a separate residential project.
What are the conditions of the general urban development plan?
The decision to approve the urban development dossier marks the first formal step in a transformation that has eluded the city since the 90s. While a specific construction timetable has not yet been set, the move mirrors the successful conversion of other Malaga landmarks, such as the old Correos building, into luxury tourist accommodation.
However, with the advice of consultancy firm Ejecución del Planeamiento, the owners of Bobby Logan's property have found a way to overcome these restrictions and transform the land beyond the conditions of the PGOU.
The study increases the development rights for the area, but splits them equally between the Bobby Logan plot and the land on the other side of the Pilones stream.
This makes it possible to divide the project into two separate phases or zones that can be carried out independently, without one depending on the other. On the opposite plot, this would allow for a residential development of ground floor plus two storeys and a penthouse, with a total built area of 2,450 square metres.
In recent years, the owner of the Bobby Logan site had asked the city council to relax the planning rules on this land to make development viable.
However, it is only now that the urban planning department has backed the route allowed under the new regional planning law (Lista) and agreed to start the change-of-use process. This marks the first formal step towards approval, although no timetable has been set.
