As many are aware, Marbella has been facing some issues over its urban planning. The Urban Plan of 2010 was cancelled 17 months ago, leaving a void that has frustrated developers. Happily, it seems that this is about to be resolved, and as Spanish newspaper Diario Sur reported, Marbella’s municipal government has published a roadmap as a way out of this “urbanisation jam.”
The revised text of the 1986 Urban Plan was voted in by three parties in the government – PSOE, OSP and IU, plus Costa del Sol Si Puede-Podemos - and the process initiated to adapt the 1986 plan to be consistent with Andalucía’s current Law of Urban Planning.
The PP party abstained from the vote, which meant that the Podemos representatives’ votes were vital in carrying the resolution, as an absolute majority was required. At present, there are some obligations attendant on the formalisation of the new urban plan, including a period of one month during which it can be contested. Any arguments against it must be resolved by a majority vote.
The other issue at the meeting was the adoption of the LOUA (Ley de Ordenación Urbanística de Andalucía). This did not require an absolute majority vote, although as a matter of interest, the result of the voting was identical to that of the urban plan. There was one amendment brought by Podemos, which asked for the boundaries that delimit the municipality of Marbella to be corrected, because the original LOUA document placed the area of Cerro del Colorado in Benahavís.
Nvoga’s director, José Carlos Léon, commented on this latest development, saying: “This is good news for Marbella. Friday’s vote approved the revised text of the PGOU 1986, which allows us to start the process of adopting the LOUA. This will speed up the urban planning process, which is a very important and necessary step for Marbella because it is one of the main attractions for investors buying property and bringing developments to the Costa del Sol. From Nvoga’s perspective, our developments, which are not affected by the PGOU - in particular the ICON MARBELLA development at Santa Clara Golf - are selling at an extremely good pace, demonstrating the buoyancy of the market and Marbella’s place within it.”