The long-awaited comeback of the Tivoli World theme park in Benalmadena has moved one step closer.

It comes after plans for the major redevelopment were formally submitted to the Junta de Andalucia this week.

Benalmadena Town Hall confirmed on Tuesday that it has forwarded the project’s urban transformation proposal to the regional government’s Department of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy, allowing the key assessment process to begin.

The submission marks another milestone in the redevelopment of the site, which has remained closed since 2020.

Under the plans agreed between the town hall and landowner Tremon Group, the new Tivoli will occupy a larger footprint than the original park and form part of a wider tourism and leisure complex.

The project includes a larger, modernised Tivoli amusement park, a shopping and leisure centre, two hotels and new public spaces and infrastructure.

Mayor Juan Antonio Lara said the proposal had been submitted by Tremon within the deadlines set out in the agreement signed with the council and had already received favourable reports from the town hall’s legal and technical departments.

The Junta now has three months to issue its strategic environmental report.

If approved, Tremon will then prepare a detailed urban development plan, which must be approved by the town hall before being opened to public consultation.

Only after that process is complete can the company submit the final construction project and apply for a building licence.

Once planning permission is granted, construction of the new Tivoli can begin.

Lara acknowledged that the redevelopment remains a lengthy and complex process but said it is progressing according to schedule.

He added that one of the key conditions of the agreement is that the new Tivoli must reopen before, or at the same time as, the planned shopping centre and hotels – ensuring the amusement park remains the priority rather than becoming a secondary element of the wider commercial development.

The agreement also includes provisions allowing former Tivoli employees to return to work as part of the new project.

The reopening of Tivoli has been one of the Costa del Sol’s most closely watched redevelopment projects since the beloved amusement park closed its gates five years ago.