A study carried out by researchers of the Institute for Regional Development of the University of Granada states that no building should be constructed in the last open space on the western Costa del Sol, where the Department of Urban Planning of the Costa del Sol and the PGOU of Marbella (the latter has not yet approved the plan) prepare an ambitious project.
The said area is the fertile lowland of the Guadaiza River, 200 hectares of land located between the towns of San Pedro de Alcántara and Nueva Andalucía, within the municipality of Marbella. The area has a variable width (up to 2 kilometers) and a length of about 3 kilometers and runs parallel to the A-7 highway and the N-340 road. This area is a plain formed by the alluvial deposit of the Guadaiza River. This river crosses the plain and divides it in two.
José Gómez Zotano, professor of Geography and head of the study, points out the high environmental value of the area. “Thanks to the fact that there are no buildings in this area, the views are unique. For this reason, the fertile lowland of Guadaiza River is the best ecological corridor and Marbella’s most scenic area. With this open space it is possible to see the whole mountain system (which consists of Sierra de las Nieves, Sierra Bermeja and Sierra Blanca Mountains), the sea and the interrelationship between the different ecosystems (littoral, fluvial and mountainous). This corridor is also valuable because it is surrounded by the busy main road networks of the Costa del Sol (N-340 road and the A-339 and A-7 highways) and other roads. The open space contributes significantly to the aesthetic perception of the landscape.”
A prey of speculation
Gómez Zotano stresses that this open space can fall prey to land speculation, as has already happened to other emblematic Andalusian fertile lowlands, such as the one in Granada. He explains that “its strategic location and the large amount of rural land has favored an unjustified interest for unnecessary and excessive planning projects completely incompatible with the conservation of the only open space which is left for the citizens of San Pedro de Alcántara and Nueva Andalucía to enjoy”. Of these projects the most significant are the construction of a train station and 1200 state-subsidized houses, the building of the fairground, the channelization of the river and the construction of the “Valle del Conocimiento y la Innovación del Guadaiza”, a complex which will consist of a University, a logistic park, a technological and economic district and a new sports center.
The professor of the UGR points out that there are alternative areas where these facilities could be built. He also explains that if these projects are carried out, the fertile lands will be ruined and the only open space left in Marbella will be destroyed. From a geotechnical point of view, “the plain soils are unconsolidated and most of them are made of expansive clay prone to flooding and therefore not suitable for building development” and put the foundations of the buildings at risk.
The researcher of the UGR thinks that there are interesting possibilities for environmental and aesthetic improvement if this land were recovered and different projects developed, such as the creation of an open agricultural park recreating former colonial cultivations (for example sugar cane, cotton or sugar beet) with a view to improve the landscape. Furthermore, vegetable gardens that the elderly could use and enjoy could be made, promoting cultivation, a traditional activity which is disappearing nowadays. The restoration of the river channel and the reforestation of the Guadaiza River riversides are also necessary reforms that should be carried out, according to the researchers of the UGR.
Reference: Prof. José Gómez Zotano. Institute for Regional Development of the University of Granada Phone: 958 243 083. Mobile phone: 676 108 183. E-mail: jgzotano@ugr.es