Countdown can finally begin for grand opening of the Gran Parque de Mijas

The countdown to the grand opening of the Gran Parque de Mijas can finally start, after the town hall signed off the construction works and accepted this macro-project of almost 270,000 square metres, set to be the great "green lung" of the Costa del Sol. The work was initially scheduled to be completed in May, but at the end of June the town hall announced that "a series of civil and gardening tasks" were still pending. The following month, the town hall rejected the handover and granted a new deadline to the companies awarded the joint contract - Vías y Construcciones and Transportes y Excavaciones Arroyo. Following these delays, the work has officially come to an end, as announced by mayor Ana Mata.

The Gran Parque de Mijas, located in the Cortijo del Ahogadero area Las Lagunas, began to take shape about nine years ago. In June 2023, the work was awarded and the first stone was laid. When Mata came to office, the project underwent some modifications in order to be optimised. The cost of the project amounts to 26.6 million euros, equivalent to almost 20% of the town hall's budget for this year.

The acceptance of the park means that the town hall is now responsible for the maintenance of the Gran Parque, but for this to be possible it must first award the contract that it tendered for this purpose and which is still in the awarding phase. Once that is done, the town hall will organise an open day for local residents to visit the new facilities.

Maintenance was put out to tender for a three-year term at a cost of 3.29 million euros per year. The contract was divided into three lots: gardening (2.35 million euros per year), security (392,000 euros) and upkeep and maintenance of facilities and equipment (544,000 euros).

The Gran Parque de Mijas covers an area of 270,000 square metres, with more than 2,900 trees planted. The type of trees and shrubs has been changed in order to reduce water consumption, from 1,350 cubic metres per month to around 350 cubic metres per month.

The "green lung" is equipped with sports courts for basketball and indoor football, a dog park in the southern area and an open-air theatre with a capacity to house 1,500 people during cultural and festive activities. There are also five children's play areas, a skate park, a splash park and bio-healthy equipment. In addition, the park has a large navigable lake.

The Gran Parque de Mijas's surface area extends from the cemetery grounds to the Cerros del Águila residential area; in width, it goes to the El Ahogadero area, near Venta de la Morena. Access is expected to be improved with the construction of two bridges over the Fuengirola river, but this phase will be approved in September.