This is what Marbella's new neighbourhood near La Cañada shopping centre will be like

A new neighbourhood planned for Marbella will be bordered to the north by the La Cañada shopping centre, to the south by the La Ermita industrial estate, to the west by Bello Horizonte and to the east by the A-7 motorway.

Although it doesn't have a name yet, the new area in Arroyo Segundo will be home to the town's fairgrounds, along with 1,330 homes, green areas and a transport centre for goods vehicles. All in all, an area of 365,000 square metres that the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) of 1986 already qualified, according to town planning councillor, José Eduardo Díaz, it is "a priority and strategic area".

The new Marbella district is years away, but the town hall took the first step on Tuesday 23 September with the approval, by the of the so-called declaration of convenience and opportunity, which would be its consideration as a project of public interest.

The next step will come before the end of the year, when the town hall expects the General Municipal Management Plan (PGOM), one of the two new planning instruments created by the Law for the Promotion of the Sustainability of the Andalusian Territory (LISTA) of December 2021, together with the Urban Management Plan (POU), to get the green light, which will simplify the processing and facilitate urban development in comparison with the General Urban Management Plan (PGOU).

In the meantime, companies interested in bidding for the Actuación de Transformación Urbanística de Nueva Urbanización (ATU-UN) Arroyo Segundo, have a period of one year to present the development proposal. But the step taken by the town hall allows it to obtain the land for public facilities in advance "without having to wait for the definitive entry into force of the planning, which will make it easier to have the definitive fairgrounds and new green areas for the town available sooner", explained the town planning councillor.

The new 90,000-square-metre fairground will be 10,000 bigger than the La Caridad estate and will be used as a multi-purpose space which during the rest of the year can have other uses ranging from events to sports facilities, and which will be accompanied by car parks.

Another of the aims of this area is to prevent large lorries from entering the town centre. To this end, the area will house a transport centre that will serve as a logistics facility in an area that's next to La Ermita industrial estate.

The new district will also respond to the need for housing in Marbella. There will be 1,330 houses, "mostly at affordable prices" according to Díaz. Of these, 532 will be social housing. "This alone justifies the project", summarised the town planning councillor. It will also have "long avenues" and green areas, which will regenerate the area around the stream and create "a new environmental lung in the town", as he pointed out.

Twenty five per cent of the land will have commercial and service uses, with the idea of the "the 15-minute town", the town hall's plan to have everything a person might need within a quarter of an hour's walk.

The councillor summarised the plans by saying that the project "will convert an urban void in the heart of the town into a district with facilities, green areas and local services".