Primark’s future in Marbella remains unclear

ALTHOUGH recently approved by the Junta de Andalucia regional government, a future Primark store at La Cañada shopping centre is still up in the air.
Almost two decades after its launch, the Marbella shopping centre is still stuck in town planning battles, which have plagued it virtually since it was built.
Built in three successive phases during the era when the GIL political party ruled, two of the buildings were not built to meet town planning regulations, meaning General de Galerias Comerciales, the centre’s owner, has been fighting to legalise its situation ever since.
The centre appears on sector SUNC-4 of the 2010 PGOU (General Urban Development Plan) as non-consolidated urban land, meaning compensation and public works would be required to convert it into land considered as consolidated.
This cataloguing also affects nearby Arroyo Primero, La Trinidad and part of La Serrania, and an estimated amount of €42 million would be needed to consolidate the entire sector, €25 million of which would be the responsibility of La Cañada according to some groups.
Yet General de Galerias Comerciales has always refused to believe this, claiming that the land the centre stands on is already consolidated and therefore not eligible for the compensation or work.
After years of battles against Marbella council and the Junta, the centre finally obtained a victory last September when a regional appeals court recognised the land as consolidated and the other parties accepted the judge’s decision.
Although this led the centre to believe the fight was over and apply for authorisation to create the promised premises for Primark, the situation is still unsure as owners of adjacent land have demanded clarification from the courts on their situation, meaning the state of the land could still be modified.