Murcia makes progress as international airport nears
Photo credit: Sameer Vasta
Murcia is making progress this summer, according to agents, as Paramount Theme Park pushes ahead and the new Corvera International Airport gets even closer.
The first piece of good news for the region came from the Paramount Theme Park camp where a new agreement was formalised in July. This laid down the regulations for the construction and operation of the attraction and was signed by the Mayor of Alhama de Murcia and Jesus Samper, the President for Murcia's Flagship Projects (PREMURSA). This agreement replaces the original, which had to be modified when the amount of land purchased was slightly less than first intended.
The local council has reiterated that the Theme Park is continuing "on schedule" and Samper said "every day saw positive progress".
The second encouraging announcement relates to Corvera International Airport that has been "opening soon" for quite some time now. Installations and licenses are now, in the main, in place and Jet2 airlines has already said it will transfer its operations from San Javier to Corvera when it has the green light. Said ‘green light' could come as early as November 2012 as the new Head of General Air Academy at San Javier, Colonel Emilio Juan Gracia, said the Region's two airports were "close to reaching an understanding" on how to transfer operations from one to the other.
In addition, despite rumours of serious financial hurdles, spokesperson for Murcia's Regional Government, José Ballesta, has recently offered his reassurance that the banks behind the Corvera Airport project are "calm" and awaiting the return of their investment patiently and with realistic expectations. The bank heading the financing plan, La Caixa, is said to be pleased with how the project is progressing. Meanwhile, Ana Pastor, the Spanish Minister for Public Works, said there was "peace and security" concerning the future of the Airport and she too believes everything is in place to have it operational before the end of 2012.
Chris Mercer, Director of real estate agent Mercers which is headquartered 10 minutes from the Paramount site, commented:
"No one is blind to the problems that Spain is facing financially, public spending cutbacks and high unemployment are taking their toll but glimmers of hope and positivity exist - in fact, Spain's GDP was down just 0.4% for Q2 2012 whereas the UK's was down 0.7%. Murcia is laying foundations for the future, putting itself in pole position for recovery."
"In the meantime property prices are rock bottom - at their lowest in a decade," he added. "We're busy with bargain hunter buyers."