This is what the Great Park of Mijas will be like: A large lake and an auditorium for about 1,500 people

The construction of the Gran Parque in Mijas is nearly 95% complete. This public space, aimed at leisure activities, is expected to be operational by next May according to the City Council. The project, with an investment of 27.5 million euros, will feature a large lake, an amphitheater with a capacity for about 1,500 people, and areas for games and sports, as highlighted by the Infrastructure Councilor, Juan José Torres.

The future park spans an area of “270,000 square meters,” with “roadways and structures” nearly completed, as well as “children's play areas, the skatepark, the splashpark, and the bio-healthy equipment,” the councilor noted.

Work began in August 2023 with the laying of the first stone and is currently “almost at 95% completion,” so the City Council plans to launch it “in May 2025.”

The project has undergone several modifications since its original drafting in 2017 - which included the park and bridges and had to be split into 2 so that both infrastructures would not affect the Cortijo Acebedo site; and in the last year regarding the vegetation mass due to recent droughts.

Torres mentioned that the government team conducted “a study on how to reduce water consumption,” as the park will have over 2,900 trees, whose planting has “finished,” while the planting of “shrubs and other species is at 60%,” he added.

Thus, he emphasized that “the typology of these trees and plantings has been changed to reduce the monthly water usage from the 1,350 cubic meters seen by the previous government team to about 350,” thereby marking a “reduction of more than 300% in water consumption.”

Pending Elements

The progress of the Gran Parque can be seen on the ground, featuring a central area of 24 square meters designed as a boulevard, with space for “tourist transport” and “bike lanes.” Other ornamental elements such as large Andalusian-style fountains will enhance the space, with “lighting” and the placement of “gresite” tiles still pending.

It will also have sports courts for basketball and five-a-side football, which “are finished except for the final coat of paint”; a dog park in the south area that still needs “lighting, sand, and fencing”; and a navigable lake pending “cleaning and filling,” while the "furniture" is “installed at 60%,” the municipal official detailed.

Moreover, it will feature an “amphitheater with seating for about 1,500 people,” which could hold “up to 2,000 standing,” where the City Council plans to “host activities, whether cultural or festive,” once the park opens.

Furthermore, the councilor noted that the fencing of the Gran Parque is installed “at 90%,” “cobblestone pavements at 99% and concrete at 97%.” The recreational offerings include five children's play areas, a skatepark, a splashpark, and bio-healthy equipment that are nearly “finished.”

The City Council also plans to “propose concessions” for “various dining and leisure areas, such as zip lines, little trains, bicycles, or boats for the lake,” highlighted the councilor, adding that the amphitheater “would be one of the areas that could be concessioned.” “Ultimately, there are many possibilities that need to be integrated into a dossier that will be released soon,” he advanced.

Access

Other pending elements are the accesses, being “a project that goes in a subsequent phase,” for which Torres recalled that “bridges will be built in the area of the San Cayetano Cemetery and Venta La Morena.” Therefore, the City Council has “adapted the road” and in the cemetery area “a parking lot for more than 1,000 vehicles has been planned, which was also not included in the initial project.”

Park Maintenance

Moreover, at the beginning of the year, the City Council tendered “the park maintenance file,” which will cost approximately “3 million euros per year,” and along with it, proposes to offer “concessions”—which could be “complete” or “partial” of the facility—to reduce expenses “since each concession will have to maintain its respective area.”

As Torres pointed out, “the maintenance of the park was not planned by the previous government team” and “we had to conduct studies from scratch on what those costs would be,” which are “approximately 3 million annually” to maintain the space “comprehensively,” adding to the investment of 27.5 million.

The file thus includes three lots for maintenance among “gardening, cleaning, various installations such as the lighting antenna, transformation centers, all that are motors, water, etc.,” the councilor specified, adding “the security system, the guards that have to patrol the park.”