New delay for 27-million-euro Gran Parque de Mijas flagship project
The town hall has given the contractor until 31 July to rectify the "small details" on the almost 270,000-square-metre leisure and recreational area
The opening date of the Gran Parque Mijas - the macro-project on an area of almost 270,000 square metres in Cortijo del Ahogadero, in Las Lagunas - is still up in the air. Although the project for this natural and recreational area on the Costa del Sol was scheduled for completion last May, at the end of June the town hall stated that the work was pending "a series of civil engineering and gardening tasks" and announced a new date for its completion: 9 July. In the end, there will be an even further delay due the town hall's refusal to accept the latest presentation of the work.
The contracted company now has until 31 July to finish the "small details" related to plumbing and planting. The budget for this project is 27.54 million euros, which is 20% of the town hall's total budget for this year.
Awaiting maintenance contract
Once the park is completed, the town hall will be in charge of it. However, a company for the maintenance work in this new park has not been awarded the contract yet. At the moment, the tender is in its final stretch, with 22 companies competing with their bids.
The maintenance contract covers three lots. The first one concerns the areas of gardening and irrigation; cleaning and maintenance of children's areas; bio-health equipment; street infrastructure and equipment; pavement and fencing. This contract is worth 2.35 million euros per year.
The second lot covers facility maintenance (technical rooms, maintenance and cleaning of fountains and lakes and splashpark, supply and sanitation networks, telecommunications, electricity and lighting), with an initial budget of 544,000 euros. The third lot, worth 392,000 euros, covers park surveillance.
The final cost for the town hall will presumably be significantly reduced, considering the good offers of the submitted bids.
Changes to a nine-year-old plan
The Gran Parque de Mijas began to take shape about nine years ago. The first stone was laid in June 2023. Since then, some modifications in the plan have taken place.
The town hall decided to leave the access bridges from the cemetery and from Venta La Morena for a later phase. It also proposed a change in the type of plants in order to reduce water consumption from 2,350 cubic metres per month to 350, 300% less.
