It was back in 1999 that Motril hatched plans to set up a large industrial estate near the port, yet only now is it taking place – and only tenuously.
The original plan was for an industrial estate built on 350,000 sq/m but with with a mercantile-transport centre included, it would reach and extension of 500,000 sq/m. However, a lack of funds on the part of public administrations, prospective companies and individual land owners meant that it never came about.
But now, the plan appears to be taking off, but this time covering a million square metres – twice the size.
The designated area, known as PUE-1, is envisaged to house the 28 companies that already own plots there; i.e., 50% of the total area. The emphasis, however, is to give priority to the mercantile-transport centre, slap in the middle of the PUE-1.
Half of the PUE-1 passed into the hands of the Junta de Andalucia in 2000 and before the crisis bit, when they had promised 19m euros to get the project moving; obviously, these funds never materialised.
According to the Head of the Urban Development Services at the Town Hall, Juan Fernando Estévez, just the cost of putting in the basic infrastructure (roads etc and underground installations like mains water, electricity and sewage) will cost 40m euros; the electricity substation alone will cost between six and seven million.
Yet, Sr. Estévez, recognises that it isn’t going to be easy and in his opinion it is the companies that own plots, such as Gijón e Hijos, Azúcar Marina S.L. and Projimosa, who have to back the project with their own money.
The said companies have already had to sacrifice part of their plots to house the logistics centre; A very necessary facility, in his opinion.
The new proposal was presented before the plot owners and according to Sr. Estévez, the Town Hall has got everybody to pull together. Now the next step is to present the project before the Junta, who, Sr. Estévez believes, is not going to put a throw a spanner in the works.
“The proposal is out there and if it moves ahead, it will progress at the pace set by plot owners, who will have to put up the funds,” he explained.
Summing up, this huge industrial estate will have a mercantile-transport centre as its heart, which will require that the present plot owners (companies that bought them when the project originated 15 years ago) not only cede part of their land, but also put up the funds to provide the infrastructure. The Junta, for their part, has to move everything along with alacrity and refrain from bureaucratic bottlenecks and nitpicking.
(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Analucia)