Opium Beach Club in Marbella Closes After Neighborhood Pressure

Noise, traffic jams, and public insecurity are just a few of the issues that residents of the Pinillo beach area have cited over the years as reasons for the controversial Opium club in Marbella to be shut down. According to Marbella 24 hours digital news, the residents' complaints through administrative litigation, and the Roads regulations have finally led the Marbella City Council to revoke the establishment's opening license, also requiring the owner to remove the provisional installations and uses of the establishment.

In this regard, SUR has had access to a decree from the City Council itself requesting a technical assessment on the matter after the municipal legal services became aware of this process initiated by the residents against the local entity's resolutions that granted provisional installation and opening licenses to the company. It is also noted that "since the authorization from the General Directorate of Roads was mandatory for the provisional license for the aforementioned works to be authorized, and since this sectoral authorization has now expired, it would be appropriate to annul it."

Therefore, the City Council has revoked the license that no longer had the authorization from Roads. "Our surprise was that even after responding to our appeal last week, the legal representation of the Marbella City Council sent a letter to the court asking for the case to be archived due to extrajudicial satisfaction," points out to SUR the lawyer representing the neighbors, Salvador Campos, who noted that "they have reached this point because the licenses had already been revoked." In this sense, the lawyer questions "why, if the work and opening licenses were annulled in December and January, the company has not yet dismantled the installations."

However, the City Council maintains that "the license has not been revoked but was temporary and expired in December" and that "subsequently they have not been able to renew the mandatory roads permit for a new provisional license." Similarly, they add that "neighborhood pressure has nothing to do with it and so far the courts have sided with the City Council in everything they have presented."

Neighborhood Complaints

Neighborhood complaints have been constant over the last few years. In July 2022, a shooting that occurred at the venue set off alarms among citizens who were already up in arms. Residents, mainly from the Lindasol and El Real Panorama developments, placed banners on their homes appealing to their right to rest and security.

Noise is not the only issue they have reported, although it is the one that has been causing them the most trouble. It is not the first time that the local administration has revoked the opening license of this controversial Marbella beach club.