The report also mentions the widening of the commuter rail line and the northern access to the airport - projects that depend on the central government.
Plaza Mayor is also currently constructing a new road to improve access to the shopping centre, connecting it to the old N-340 highway. This project, with a cost of almost four million euros, includes the construction of a tunnel beneath the commuter rail line.
The city council's transport department technicians, however, still consider these infrastructure projects insufficient and question the timelines, as some depend on public institutions. They state that these improvements would not be enough. The transport department acknowledges that "improvements are noticeable" on some roads, but "congestion remains" on others.
However, the municipal traffic technicians have given the owners of Plaza Mayor another chance to demonstrate that a further expansion of the commercial area will not cause traffic gridlock in the area. The owners have submitted a new traffic study, taking into account a timeframe of more than 20 years.
The developers of the project haven't given up hope and are confident that this new study will lead to an authorisation from the municipal traffic department.
Another point of concern, however, is that the environmental report the regional government issued four years ago expires on 24 June. If the amendment to the general urban development plan (PGOU) isn't approved before that date, the city council will have to request a new environmental assessment.
The companies that own the shopping centre (Plaza Mayor Shopping, Doc Málaga Siteco and Doc Málaga Siteco Phase 2) anticipate a cost of 105 million euros. They will compensate for the loss of surface parking spaces with new underground spaces, bringing the total to 3,846.
According to the urban development agreement from 2021, in exchange for including this project in the planning regulations, the municipal coffers will receive 3.8 million euros (paid in two installments). The city will also gain a 53,725-square-metre recreational park next to the San Julián area. This park will include a football field, which will cost the Plaza Mayor developers 1,611,750 euros.
