A project that seemed dead and buried in 2011 for an inland Marina in Motril could be brought back to life, thanks to a Granada businessman.

Antonio Mañas, Chairman of Grupo AM envisages a Puerto Banus a-la-Motrileña and is willing to take the project on from where it was dropped owing to the recession. He is the man behind the tyre-fitting giant, Center’s Auto, with over 100-million euros per anum going through its book.

He is also behind Global Realty, but most importantly, Antonio Mañas owns the lion’s share of Playa Granada.

The marina project will put building land between Playa de Poniente (next to the campsite) and Playa Granada (Chiringuito 19th Hole) under 100,000 sq/m of water, surround by leisure areas.

The pluses are many, such as reducing the amount of buildings going up and protecting the coastline, he explained.

As for the marina itself, it will have 750 berths and just its construction will mean 40-million euros in investment. A further 45-million will be used on hotel, shops and services infrastructure.

The way that the coastal-protection works is that this privately owned land will pass into public hands as soon as the seawater comes in to fill the shallow basin.

The Town Hall, for its part, is ready to “roll out the red carpet” before the project and gives its whole-hearted support.

Editorial comment: ecologists will probably raise objetions along the lines that it is swamping agricultural land under seawater yet this area was original salt marshes a dozen centuries back. If it’s a choice between concrete and blocks of flats…

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)