Paramount Theme Park in Murcia - more news

[satandpcguy]

It has been confirmed on Saturday that the Paramount Theme Park planned for the Murcia Region of Spain is to be constructed in the area of Alhama de Murcia.

It is has been agreed - but not yet formalised - that an area of 3.5 million sqm adjacent to the Condado de Alhama Golf Resort will be the location of the theme park.

The news is not yet written in stone however, but the consortium of investors involved in the planned development have a nearby backup site also on the table – Fuente Alamo – should the minor problems still faced before formal agreement is signed are not ironed out.

Regional government and bank officials have sought to play down concerns voiced that one of the critical players in the negotiations and investment, Jesus Samper – the president of Real Murcia football club - is currently facing charges of corruption and is at the centre of a significant court battle and possible imprisonment as a result.

Samper himself is quoted in the Spanish daily newspaper La Verdad as saying that his involvement in the case “has absolutely no influence whatsoever” in the development of the Paramount project.

The area of land formerly owned by cash-strapped Spanish developer Polaris World, which is now owned by a consortium of Spanish banks, is located very close to the soon-to-be-completed international airport currently being constructed at Corvera and is also less than 30 minutes from the city of Murcia and from the port of Cartagena. With an excellent motorway network, it was the logical location for the theme park to be constructed.

The initial area will be used for the construction of the theme park, however it has been agreed that a radius of 1km will be available to construct further services such as hotels, shopping centres and other commercial units..

The Theme Park is great news for the regional government of Murcia as it will provide employment for up to 20,000 people. Furthermore, the residents at Condado de Alhama Golf Resort and the various other villages and golf course resorts nearby, will see the value of their properties increase with the theme park on their doorstep.

Local Estate Agent, Murcia Villas SL has already witnessed a surge in interest in investing in the region following the announcement of the intention to build a major theme park in the area a few months ago.

“We are seeing international investment interest in Murcia again,” said Murcia Villas La Torre Director, John King. “The British are again looking at buying property as both Spain and Britain look to emerge from the crisis. But we are also seeing great interest from farther afield, with queries coming in from the USA, India, eastern Europe and the middle east, too.”

Recent figures from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics would appear to support King's claims. In a report last week, they noted that Spanish property sales and transfers have increased for the 8th consecutive month: 29.6% up on last year.

As a region, Murcia had the second highest selling rate per capita of buildings in Spain, and also the second highest selling rate per capita of housing in Spain. In terms of housing, the report states that 1880 houses and apartments were sold in Murcia in August 2010. This places Murcia towards the top of the national league in terms of the revival of the property market.

Many experts view this as a definite indication that Spain is finally emerging from the financial crisis, and point at the recent decline of Spanish property prices (-3.6% in the second trimester of 2010, according to the Spanish housing ministry) and recently improved interest rates in Spain as two possible triggers for the surge in sales.

“It's a combination of factors,” says Murcia Villas director, Fiona James. “The prices in Murcia are fantastic at the moment. The interest rates are very favourable. The new airport and the expansion of the nearby Alicante airport. And now this very significant tourist development. We are working hard to keep up with the rate of enquiries coming in, and have opened up a new franchise just this month in Roda, and have two more franchises opening over the coming months.”

“Murcia is bouncing back strongly,” concludes James. “We are not back to the levels we were at 5 years ago, but the market is growing in strength and this theme park project is just another strong to Murcia's bow"

source: _http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_27544.shtml