Marbella to expand eastwards across almost three million square metres

The decision was taken one day before the full council gave final approval to the municipality’s new urban planning framework. The three locations are La Víbora, the La Vizcaína area and the surroundings of Alicate, La Paz and Arroyo Sequillo.

The projects include plans for thousands of homes, two hotels, commercial areas and a major educational facility, among other uses.

However, defining the boundaries of the areas is only the starting point and does not establish the final development plans. The developers have two years to submit the relevant detailed planning documents, which will determine how the new urban areas are laid out.

If all three projects reach the maximum building capacity proposed by their respective developers, they could accommodate more than 6,400 homes.

The largest project is in the Alicate and Arroyo Sequillo area and accounts for about half the combined surface area of the three developments.

The developer is Golf Reserva de Marbella, a company belonging to the Peñarroya Group, which owns the Holiday World resort in Benalmádena Costa.

Located north of the A-7 motorway, the project provides for up to 2,759 homes, comprising 350 detached houses, 947 homes in apartment buildings and 1,462 protected housing units.

The proposal also refers to the possibility of an exemption from the requirement to build protected housing if the residential density is below 15 homes per hectare. Under that scenario, the project would instead comprise 626 detached houses and 1,114 homes in apartment buildings, bringing the total to 1,740.

The alternative approach is linked to the growing luxury residential trend of ‘branded residences’, in which homeowners receive services from a high-end hotel.

The project includes a five-star grand luxury hotel with 50,000 square metres of floor space, more than 3,800 square metres of private facilities and nearly 3,500 square metres of commercial space. It also sets aside a substantial area for general public infrastructure, open spaces, parks and gardens.

The other major project is planned for the Coto Correa and La Arquería-Cerro Toril areas of La Víbora. Developer Interpromo 2006 SL intends to build 2,776 homes, comprising ten detached houses, 1,433 homes in apartment buildings and 1,333 protected housing units.

The plans also reserve a substantial part of the site for open spaces, parks, facilities and green areas. Existing streams would form green corridors and connect the new urban area.

The plans also include a commercial area covering more than 13,000 square metres of floor space.

The La Vizcaína project covers one of the remaining undeveloped areas within eastern Marbella’s urban fabric. Located south of the AP-7 motorway, it lies next to La Reserva de Marbella, Artola Alta and the Cabopino golf course.

The number of homes planned is lower than in the other two developments. The developer, Marbella-based company Alfil Patrimonial Socimi, estimates that it could build between 685 and 872 homes, depending on the final planning arrangements.

Although the maximum building capacity is below 15 homes per hectare, the proposal includes a land reserve in the north-western part of the site for protected housing. The area could accommodate properties equivalent to 40 per cent of the residential building capacity, although the developer would not be responsible for constructing them.

The final figures remain uncertain. While the developer’s initial proposal identifies an overall residential use for the site, the company has indicated that the detailed planning document is expected to allocate part of the building capacity to private facilities and hotel use.

The hotel component would complement the residential use and could support the development of another branded residences project.

La Vizcaína also includes a substantial land reserve for educational facilities and open spaces.