Laurence Dollimore
BRITISH favourite Primark WILL be able to open in Marbella thanks to a change in building regulations.
It comes after a battle between the Irish discount store, La Cañada shopping centre and Marbella town hall put the project on hold for the past five years.
The General de Galerias Comerciales (GCC), which owns La Cañada, first signed a deal with the clothing company back in 2014.
Primark had demanded an open space in the centre, leading the GCC to free up a large space on the top floor, which had previously housed a gym and a few other brands.
However the area was not enough, so a 2,000sqm mezzanine and another 121 metres of space on the top floor was planned.
However the works, which hoped to create 200 jobs, were blocked by Marbella town hall because they did not comply with the 2010 Plan General (PGOU) building regulations.
The shopping centre went along with the works regardless, incurring a fine and orders from the town hall to put down its tools.
GCC appealed to the courts but they sided with the town hall.
It put the Marbella Primark dream on the back burner, but now there is renewed hope.
It comes after a modification to the PGOU in Marbella was approved in December.
It states that, to ‘facilitate their better use and modernistation’, industrial and commercial buildings can increase their surface areas internally as long as it doesn’t alter their external configuration.
This change opens the door to the construction of mezzanines in industrial and commercial buildings like La Cañada.
The GCC must now request a new licence for the Primark space.
Sources told Diario Sur that five years later Primark maintains a strong interest in opening in Marbella and that the only space that meets the conditions, especially for its visitor numbers and facilities, is La Cañada.
The space reserved for Primark has not been earmarked for any other project or brand.
