Walter Finch
LONG-DELAYED plans to build a hotel in pristine mountains behind the Costa del Sol have controversially been given the green light.
The hotel is set to be located on a currently virgin plot of land measuring nearly 300 square kilometres in the Sierra de Churriana mountain range.
The Junta has approved plans that would permit this new resort to occupy up to 18 square kilometres.
It is yet one more touristic development project that has been approved by the local government against howls of protest from environmental groups.
The project has faced delays due to concerns about its potential impact on the environment and the surrounding area.
However, the Junta has now dismissed these concerns when a long-awaited environmental report declared the project would have no ‘significant impact’ on the surrounding landscape.
The new development plan outlines the construction of a luxury hotel just a stone’s throw from the A-404, a key route connecting Malaga to nearby inland towns.
While the decision gives the green light, it’s not without conditions.
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Developers must tread carefully around protected habitats, leaving 267,000 square metres of land untouched, with 199,000 square metres dedicated to community habitats that must remain intact.
The hotel plot also includes the current site of a quarry, which will need to be relocated.
Developers are required to reforest the quarry site and transform it into public open spaces, adding new pathways for local access.
This decision marks a turning point in a saga that stretches back to 2011, when the Malaga town hall first struck a deal with the landowners to develop the site in exchange for 350,000 square metres of free land for the city.
The deal had initially faced opposition from the PSOE-controlled Junta, which was concerned about the impact on protected land, but those have now been brushed aside.
