Paramount Park and Corvera airport latest news

Readers have been emailing asking if there is any news about these 2 key projects at the start of 2013

As we move into 2013 readers have been emailing asking if there is any news yet reference an opening date for Corvera airport this year or news about a start date for construction of the projected Paramount Theme Park at Alhama de Murcia.
The short answer at the moment is not yet.

Corvera Airport (AIRM) opening.

On the 12th December, the President of the Region of Murcia, Ramón Luis Valcárcel, guaranteed listeners of the Onda Cero radio station during an interview that “the International Airport of the Region of Murcia is on the verge of opening “a punto de abrir" and hoped to process two million passengers, exceeding the traffic of san Javier, and helping the region to overcome the effects of the crisis.

The latest mention of the airport came in a discourse by the Secretary General of communication for the PP Party, Francisco Bernabé, who spoke about the positive aspects of the region and the opportunities which are being created for businesses within the Region of Murcia on the 3rd January 2013. Sr Bernabé said that there were several key threads to help the region move forward and create prosperity for businesses, “such as the opening of the International Airport of the Region of Murcia ( AIRM) at Corvera, the initiation of the Portman bay regeneration works, and the beginning of the Paramount Park construction, which will become two of the biggest tourist icons in the Mediterranean basin. “( la apertura del Aeropuerto Internacional de Corvera; el inicio de las obras de regeneración de la bahía de Portmán y del Parque Paramount, que se van a convertir en dos de los grandes iconos del turismo en el área del Arco Mediterráneo.)

There has been no direct comment from the airport concessionary since October, and although the Regional Minister for public works, Antonio Sevilla, maintains that the processes are still being followed through to complete the bureaucratic paperwork necessary to enable the airport to open, there is still no fixed date given for the official commencement of services and flights will continue to come in via San Javier in the immediate future.

Paramount Park and Lifestyle centre at Alhama de Murcia.

This reference by Sr Bernabé above is the last documented reference to the park. The last comments made by the Regional Minister for Culture and tourism, Pedro Cruz, were that earthworks would begin in January 2013, and the company was seeking investment for the project.
Interview on 11th November, given to a press agency, their report:

“ The Consejero for culture and tourism, said that the works of the Paramount park in Alhama de Murcia would begin towards the 15th January in 2013, so that “the project continues to follow its key path on time.” This would, according to Cruz, “be a point of inflection for the project and would stimulate investment into it.”

The consejero  maintained that there is no time limit on the obtention of investors and confirmed that he had recently travelled to New York with Jesus Samper to hold various meetings with potential investors, and insisted that “investors will come.”
“These processes take a lot of work, not because of the credibility of the project, which is undeniable, but for the credibility of its European context, and more specifically of its context within Spain, “ he said.”

Premursa have now moved into their new offices in Alhama de Murcia and Alhama council announced on the 8th November that they had completed all the amendments necessary to the town plans for permissions to be given relating to the construction of the park.

These plans would be displayed for a 2 month period ( ending in January 2013) to enable the public to comment or raise objections ( which some environmentalists did in November) then the plans would be passed to the Ministry of Environment for official approval.
Permursa have issued no official comment recently in relation to the project.

However, we are now approaching the 15th January, as indicated by the Consejero, and once Three Kings is out of the way and Spain returns to work following its extended seasonal break, there may be some official movement on one or both, of these projects.