The Paseo del Mar shopping centre in the Port of Torrevieja will open its doors on Thursday 11th June, according to announcements made on the new official social media channels launched by the concessionaire just a few days ago. It will not be a traditional opening ceremony, which will take place later, once the Torrevieja City Council’s urban redevelopment projects, which are significantly behind schedule, are fully completed.
But the centre will offer its services at full capacity after four and a half years of construction – if you add the periods of demolition and construction of the fish market and rehabilitation of the Customs House from the beginning of 2022. It will feature nearly 30 restaurants and two retail spaces, spread across 8,000 square metres on a 20,000-square-metre plot, which includes a 600-space underground parking garage that opened just over a year ago. In addition, it will open four movie theatres in the heart of the town, operated by the NeoCine chain, and a bowling alley run by Ozone. The same announcement anticipates a full weekend of festivities to celebrate the opening.
The final investment of 61 million euro, according to the concessionaire—the initial estimate was around 20 million euro—is being led by Empresas del Sol, owned by a businessman from La Torre, followed by the participation of several construction companies and developers of tourist accommodations from the Vega Baja region. The Valencian regional government, under the leadership of Ximo Puig, awarded the 50-year concession for Torrevieja’s main port area, located next to the bay, with the support of Torrevieja’s mayor, Eduardo Dolón, who pledged to redevelop the port area, for which 40 million euro worth of works have been awarded.
The restaurant and bar offerings consist of major fast-food franchises and specialised themed restaurants, primarily catering to families. Many of these are currently absent from Torrevieja, while others are ubiquitous in any medium-sized Spanish city. Among the major franchise brands in the restaurant sector, it will feature Lateral, Casa Carmen, La Rollerie, Sibuya, Santa Gloria, Heladería Amorino, Brasa y Leña, Saona, McDonald’s, KFC, Foster’s Hollywood, Taco Bell, and Cien Montaditos, among others.
Construction began in early 2022 with the building of a new fish market and the renovation of the Generalitat Customs building, two requirements set by the regional government for awarding the concession. Months later, the old fish market buildings and fishermen’s sheds were demolished, and in early 2023, work began on the foundations of the new commercial space, including the construction of an underground parking garage and the installation of more than 500 piles—twice the number originally planned—to reinforce the structure on reclaimed land with the water table less than one metre deep. This undertaking required the concessionaire to allocate more than 17 million euro of the budget.
Now that the opening is imminent, the surrounding works being carried out by the City Council, which has invested another 40 million in these remodelling actions, have accelerated at an unprecedented pace since the projects began. However, the esplanade occupied by the demolished Paseo de La Libertad is still under construction—the remaining two-lane road will also be pedestrianised. The solution for traffic entering and exiting the area remains unclear. The promenade along the bay’s waterfront, the redevelopment of the area around the Customs building, and the rehabilitation of the Mínguez dock also need to be completed.
The plan is for the funfair to return to its traditional location, now with facilities prepared and renovated for this activity, also by this month of June – although the City Council no longer dares to set deadlines. The funfair has been relocated to Antonio Soria Park for almost four years. Around 150 hippie stalls are also expected to return, although gradually; however, the tender for their supply—with an estimated cost of 30,000 euro per stall—has yet to be issued.
