One of the plots earmarked for the development J. D.

Residents express fears over construction of 166 villas in Marbella

Impulsa Ciudad is encouraging people to submit their objections to the project before the 4 May deadline

Joaquina Dueñas

Monday, 18 April 2022, 17:48

A construction project proposed for the north of Marbella, which would see 166 villas and 70 flats on land between the town’s Arboretum gardens and El Trapiche del Prado has raised some concerns in the community.

Some residents and the local organisation Impulso Ciudad fear that the development would lead to “overcrowding” in an area that they believe is already overdeveloped. The deadline to submit objections to the scheme is 4 May.

Those opposing the plans argue that the project will “generate the loss of natural land and an increase in the population by more than 700 people in this already overcrowded area". They consider that it could mean "the definitive collapse of the natural areas around Huerta del Prado, El Trapiche, Sierramar, La Montua and Xarblanca Este".

In addition, they have warned that "in order to build this development, the felling of 41 specimens of melosa, pine, wicker, palm, fig and almecino trees is planned,” which they say is a total of 1,567 trees that the developer could cut down.

They have also warned about traffic problems in the area, especially in Calle Padre Pablo Ostos, Avenida del Trapiche, Puente Palo, the area around the bus station and the accesses and exits to the motorway.

"These roads already suffer serious traffic congestion problems, a pressure that will increase with the opening of the new Club Med Marbella hotel. The development does not foresee new alternative connections, nor does it provide a solution for the uses of the new residents," they said.

The group has also argued that the plans would affect local historical sites and in particular the Trapiche del Prado former sugar cane mill. “It creates a negative visual impact on the Trapiche del Prado, a pre-industrial sugar manufacturing heritage site dating back to 1644,” they highlighted.

Impulsa Ciudad has requested that before any work starts, intensive archaeological surveys of the whole area, especially that adjacent to the Trapiche del Prado, should be carried out to determine which parts belong to the archaeological sites, both above and below the ground.