Benalmadena’s long-shuttered Tivoli World is advancing towards its comeback after the town hall gave the green light to a key urban development agreement on Thursday.
The vote, passed during a plenary session, saw the ruling Partido Popular (PP) backing the plan, while opposition parties – PSOE, IU-Podemos, and Vox – voted against it.
Mayor Juan Antonio Lara took to the floor to hail the move as a ‘historic step,’ telling colleagues the council was ‘honouring its commitment to Benalmadena and the workers who gave so much to this emblematic theme park.’
‘We have no time to waste,’ Lara said, underscoring the urgency of the project. ‘We’re pulling out all the stops to fast-track the process.’
If all goes according to plan, the project could see between €100 and €200 million poured into the area, bringing with it a new commercial and tourist complex featuring two hotels and a shopping center – not to mention up to 1,000 new jobs.
‘This agreement guarantees one thing above all: the workers’ legacy lives on,’ said Lara.
‘No hotel, no shopping centre can open unless the amusement park does – either before or at the same time.’
Calling it ‘a day of joy for Benalmadena,’ the mayor urged political unity to get the park back on its feet.
But he didn’t hide his frustration at the naysayers.
‘Sadly, they voted against reopening Tivoli, against a park that would span nearly 70,000 square meters – bigger than ever,’ he said.
Urban Planning Councilor Presi Aguilera confirmed that current landowner, real estate group Tremon, has three months to file the necessary technical paperwork and kick off a planning overhaul under the General Urban Development Plan.
