The concessionaire for the construction of the Paseo del Mar Leisure Centre in Torrevieja has met the deadline to open its doors this summer of 2026. Torrevieja City Council, despite a final push in recent weeks, has not. Just 24 hours before its opening, activity was frenetic around the leisure complex, a private initiative funded through a concession granted by the previous regional government. Its inauguration is scheduled for 8:00 PM with the attendance of the President of the Generalitat, Juan Francisco Pérez Llorca.
Yesterday morning, Wednesday 10th June, workers from the González Soto company, which was awarded the contract to renovate the area around the Mínguez dock, were rushing to finish the large elevated platform that leads directly to the buildings along the so-called Paseo del Mar (Seafront Promenade). The clearest indication that the municipal redevelopment works are significantly behind schedule is that the paving connecting to the ramp was being laid hastily on the concrete slab. The construction of a promenade along the bay’s edge, which is also unfinished although paved, and the redevelopment of the area surrounding the Generalitat Customs building are still pending.
Paving and “scraping”
On Paseo de la Libertad, the contractor Orthem (Hozono Global Group) has completed the paving of the enormous pedestrian esplanade resulting from the demolition of the promenade. In addition to the soft-coloured paving, the large lampposts, each with five or six lights, stand out, illuminating the future location of the funfair. This will begin its summer season, once again, in Antonio Soria Park, although the fairground operators hope to return to their traditional location in July, once the area has been renovated and prepared for this activity.
The large lampposts, already being called “the shards,” stand out against the plain emptied of palm trees and other vegetation, where only a small section of the row of ficus trees remains. However, the access road to the Levante breakwater, awarded to the same company, remains a mess, and the ramp connecting the cantilevered promenade over the sea to the leisure centre is still in the foundation stage, with cumbersome scaffolding. The return of the hippie craft market is also still pending; the vendors remain relocated to Avenida de la Estación—the contract for supplying between 100 and 150 stalls has not yet been put out to tender.
No pedestrian crossing, no sidewalk
The company contracted to maintain parks and gardens was racing against the clock to plant seasonal flowers in the flowerbeds of what remains of the rows of palm trees along the Paseo de La Libertad, a space that not so many months ago was the fence separating the popular promenade from the port’s reclaimed land. An Actúa employee was removing the dust with a leaf blower.
Now, pedestrians arriving from the Vista Alegre promenade or the city centre and wanting to reach the Las Rocas promenade (or Juan Aparicio promenade) encounter an urban obstacle that didn’t exist before. The avenue leads directly into the underground parking garage that has been operating since last summer beneath the buildings housing new restaurants. The road design channels pedestrians directly to the entertainment area. The City Council hasn’t repainted the crosswalk it removed during the makeshift construction a few weeks ago, and the sidewalk remains a rough concrete slab, without any paving. This hardly inspires confidence in accessibility for the thousands of visitors and strollers expected to flock to the area this weekend.
Traffic
There has also been no time to launch the new urban transport service that will be deployed in the coming weeks, while the park and ride facilities are, for the moment, a project to be awarded and the regulation of parking by blue zone to improve parking turnover is still not out to tender.
And finally, there are the traffic access points. These remain the same as before the entire renovation. Only access to the underground parking garage at Paseo del Mar and the Marina Salinas parking lot has been improved. For now, the rest will consist of waiting at a roundabout that has become too small, the entrance to the seafront from Avenida Faleria and Calle María Parodi, and the exit, however possible, from Rambla Juan Mateo and Calle Ramón y Cajal via what remains of Avenida de La Libertad, which, according to the city’s forecast, will also disappear in a few months. No progress has been made on widening Calle María Parodi—two lanes were discussed when the idea of burying the traffic was ruled out—or on connecting the temporary roundabout at Plaza de Waldo Calero with Rambla Juan Mateo, which, according to the City Council, bypasses Plaza de Capdepont.
But we’ll have to see it finished; that’s the only way to know what the design of the town centre and its seafront in Torrevieja will be like.
Inauguration
But, as expected, the opening of Paseo del Mar will be a grand affair. The brand is beginning to promote itself as “the new leisure, gastronomy, and entertainment destination located next to the port of Torrevieja.” The opening ceremony will take place this Thursday, 11th June, starting at 8:00 p.m., and is expected to be attended by the President of the Generalitat, Juan Francisco Pérez Llorca, the President of Empresas del Sol, which heads the group of companies in the Vega Baja region that make up the concessionaire, and the Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón. At 10:30 p.m., the “Sky Magic, Paseo del Mar Drone Light Show,” featuring 150 drones, will begin and last for fifteen minutes. A welcome programme for new customers has been prepared throughout the weekend.
The business plan for the new Paseo del Mar area focuses on its initial offering of 17 themed and specialty restaurants, as well as three shops—although the Torrevieja port’s zoning regulations do not include this type of establishment—an American-style bowling alley operated by Ozone, a 600-space underground parking garage, and a four-screen multiplex cinema managed by Neocine. The entire project is designed to attract the large number of families who flock to the city for over three months of the year, offering a promenade with bay views, plenty of outdoor seating, and ample space between the waterfront and the shops.
The developers claim that 400 direct jobs will be created. On its website, the concessionaire has updated the current state of disrepair of the construction surrounding the centre, which has been ready to open for several days, to reflect its final appearance. Rendering and AI are powerful visual tools for achieving this goal.
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