Conversion of Malaga's Benítez military site into new park suffers continuous delays

The city council has stated that "the project is on schedule and has not come to a standstill". "Almost 90 per cent of the work has been completed and the pergolas are currently in the installation process," the council said.

According to the local authorities, the park could still be ready to open to the public in November, despite what the current state of construction suggests.

In the first few days of December last year, the urban planning department approved an amended project for the new metropolitan park, which entails an additional cost of 1.8 million euros, bringing the total cost of the project to nearly 12 million euros, as the figure now stands at 11,890,493 euros.

According to the information contained in that file on the modification, the completion deadline extended by five months. It therefore looked as though the work on the park might be finished by May, which has not been the case.

There are several sections of the plan in which the urban planning department made changes to improve the initial design, partly due to issues that could not be taken into account when it was approved.

As detailed in the report on the amended project, previously unknown rubble from earlier stages of the area's military use was found buried, along with an underground medium-voltage electricity network located at a very shallow depth, which necessitated modifications to the sewerage network.

The surface of the park's main path has also been upgraded to extend its lifespan, more trees have been planted to provide shade along the paths and the drainage system in the area has been strengthened, particularly in light of the impact of the heavy rainfall recorded last winter.

Following further site surveys, the urban planning department decided to replace the pergolas with metal ones, so that they would be lighter. It has also improved the paving in some areas with steel mesh as heavy vehicles are expected to pass over it for park maintenance.

The amendment includes the installation of new nets to prevent balls used on the sports pitches from hitting people in the area and there are plans to replace the street furniture in the picnic area.

Furthermore, the tree-planting plan was amended to introduce species that require less water, replacing cypress trees that had sustained damages due to the drought.

Similarly, the urban planning department approved changes to the lighting, the park's perimeter fencing, the CCTV system (increasing the number of cameras) and the water supply network.

Local authorities also decided to relocate the dog park to the area between the inner road and the commuter railway line. This will allow an expansion of the area to around 10,000 square metres.

With all these changes, the work has continued at a slow pace which means it is still impossible to say with absolute certainty when the park can be ready.

The initial budget for the project was 10,046,874 euros and the completion period was 18 months. However, 30 months have now passed since work began.

El Benítez is set to be Malaga's largest green space around a 6,300-square-metre central square, twice the size of Plaza de la Constitución. Four paths radiate out from the square in different directions, winding through the park, which, in total, features four kilometres of routes for walking and running.

The park will also feature a 13,000-square-metre sports area equipped with three basketball courts, a beach volleyball court and a fitness area with 18 pieces of gym equipment.

As for the car parks, there will be a 980-metre road running along the eastern and southern edges of the site, with space for around 116 vehicles.

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