Casino tacked on later
A skyscraper hotel approved by the government of Málaga, Spain last year faces criticism from opponents who say it’s too big, doesn’t fit the city’s image and could have an unfavorable environmental impact on the port city on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
According to G3 Newswire, opponents say the 135-meter (443-foot) building would “overshadow other important buildings there.” They are also upset because a casino has been added to the plan. The proposal was approved by city council last September, but the casino addition was not announced until a month later.
Eduardo Zorrilla, spokesman of the municipal group Málaga para la Gente (Malaga for the People) slammed the project for its “unsustainability and visual and environmental impact.” The company behind the development, known as Suites Malaga Port, is the privately held Qatar-based Al Bidda Group.
The party urged to conduct “serious and rigorous studies” of the project and its potential negative impacts on the Mediterranean town. The party also demanded that a “truthful and credible” financial and economic study be carried out by the Port Authority, in which the public participation is guaranteed, according to the news agency. Group members also asked for a “transparent administrative process” and an “in-depth debate” on the project.
Zorrilla accused Mayor Francisco de la Torre and the Ports Authority of planning to “perpetrate a horrendous skyscraper that would completely transform the image of our city” and doing it behind “people’s backs.”
According to previous reports, the addition of the casino to the Al Bidda Group’s business plan will help to make a more lucrative project and ensure a quicker return on its €106 million (US$113 million) construction investment. But by law only two casinos are permitted for each province, and Málaga already has a pair of casinos.
In addition to a casino, the proposed Suites Málaga Port would include 352 hotel rooms, a spa and luxury shopping center, a conference center and swimming area. If the project proceeds, the new hotel will create an estimated 1,300 construction jobs, with 350 additional jobs when it opens in 2020, reported GamingToday.com.
