2010-09-13
Unfortunately for all of us, Paramount have a mania for secrecy, with good reason .
If the location of this new project was made public before contracts were signed and sealed, speculators could either destroy the deal before it even happened by buying up ransom plots, or make a lot of money by investing in key property close by, and could even jeopardize the deal by buying plots which were inconvenient for the developers.
Wherever this park is finally located, will undoubtedly enjoy increased interest in property investments and businesses local to the construction can expect an upturn in their economic futures.
Since the news came out on Friday morning, there have been a number of announcements made by Town Halls across the Region, all keen to host the location of the theme park.
But where is it most likely to land?
There are several factors to consider, and at the moment the unknown quantity is the identity of the investors in this project.
Overseas or corporate investors will consider transport infrastructure, accessability, climate, local workforce availability, the geographical nature of the land offered, the political leanings and reputation of the incumbent Town Hall, local infrastructure, resident population concentration , visitor numbers to the area and the ability of the selected location to cope with the demands of a theme park this size.
Other factors which will also be carefully considered are things which may seem outside of the sphere of the park, but as all of us living here know to our cost, are ignored at the peril of the unwary, factors such as the dreaded word Iberdrola, ( electric- failure to obtain electrical connections can cost millions in delays as can be clearly seen in some local hospitals and health centres which still remain unconnected and unable to function) Water supplies, planning regulations, environmental protection and protocol will also undoubtedly be taken into consideration.
And the second possibility to consider is that if the money comes from business investors within the region, their interests are more likely to be biased towards locations which will suit their own business needs, rather than just strictly based on the criteria of which location is likely to require the least investment to guarantee the biggest return.
In February Pedro Cruz talked about the probability that the financial contribution of the Region would be to cede the land for this project. He mentioned 400-600 hectares ( a hectare being 10,000 square metres, therefore 4-6 million square metres) as being the likely quantity of land which would be necessary for the project.
What has not been made entirely clear is that the Region has now said it will be making a "symbolic" contribution to the project, and this quantity of land can hardly be considered to have a "symbolic " value. It will undoubtedly be more symbolic in some areas of the region than others, as the cost of building land obviously varies considerably according to desirability and all of the factors first mentioned.
All of which means that although some Town Halls are desperate to get in on the act, they may not be suitable for this park, no matter how willing they are.
So who has said that they want this project?
Murcia, the capital City.
With the greatest population concentration, the Mayor of Murcia, Miguel Ángel Cámara, is keen to see the investment in his city, " We have invested a lot of money in this municipality which is now able to offer perfect conditions to receive a project of this size."
Murcia certainly has the transport infrastructure, is well connected by both road and rail, with the high speed AVE link connecting it to the Mediterranean coastal routes, a new tram system currently under construction, and is just a short motorway drive from both San Javier and Corvera airports. All major roads in this region lead to Murcia, linking it well with the whole region.
It is also central to the region, so could easily pull in the traffic from all coastal areas including Aguilas, and is easily accessible from Torrevieja. It would also be equidistant from Alicante to Benidorm, putting it in the market as an alternative to the Benidorm water park attractions for Alicante holidaymakers. It's worth bearing in mind that whilst the Region of Murcia hopes to increase its' tourism trade to 3 million from its' current 1.5 million, that Alicante is aiming for 20 million visitors next year, so accessability from Alicante airport must be taken into consideration. The toll free highway from Alicante is a vital artery to bring tourists to this region, and any businessman with his eyes on profit margins must look seriously at the volumes of tourists flying into Alicante and factor them into his calculations. The toll free road goes straight into Murcia, then carries on through the centre of the region.
The populations of both Murcia and nearby Molina de Segura are the largest in the region, providing adequate workforce, with easy work connections and an existing marketplace. Murcia has sufficient land nearby to accommodate the park near to the city without being in it, and is not only the capital city, but also the location of Sampers' existing business interests, including the Nueva Condomina which he constructed.
The climate is good, the city has sufficient hotel accommodation to accommodate those who don't wish to stay in resort hotels and other attractions to interest visitors. It also has the Terra Mitica theme park which we'll discuss separately as it's an interesting factor which must be taken into consideration. .
What it doesn't have nearby is a beach and it's city image may go against it as a fun leisure development.
It's a very real contendor though.
The Mayoress of Cartagena , Pilar Barreiro, is very adept at acquiring money for Cartagena and is on extremely good terms with Pedro Cruz. She's a seasoned political player and announced her interest in this project on Friday. If it were a question of distributing resources and opportunities across the region, Cartagena wouldn't be considered, as it has its' cruise ship visitors, and several historical attractions already, as well as part of the Mar Menor.
Its' connected via slow gauge train links, but not the AVE currently, and is reasonably well connected from the centre and Alicante, but not so well from the West. Its' location at the bottom of the region would make it slightly less better connected than other candidates, particularly if considering the traffic coming in from the Almeria region and Alicante.
There are flat areas around Cartagena, and along the edge of the Mar Menor, which would render it an attractive location, but there may be conflicts with the ecologists if some of the locations came under consideration and the Mar Menor itself would not be able to ecologically support development on this scale. There is also a fierce rivalry between Murcia and Cartagena. Cartagena has always considered that it should be the capital of the region, as it was the most important city for hundreds of years, so whether this would influence those with murcian based business connections may come into the equation. But this is one determined mayoress and should not be discounted.
Ulea.
Ulea was really the first to put itself forward in March this year, keen to develop and grow.
It's a wild card location. Undoubtedly it would be very accommodating, land would be plentiful and inexpensive and as there is virtually no infrastructure everything would have to be built from scratch. There certainly isn't the population concentration, but the area needs the investment.
It's big downfall is lack of transport infrastructure and it's location slightly in the north-west, away from the airports. It's well connected from the North-west and Murcia, but is away from the main tourist areas. The climate is slightly cooler than the coast, and more prone to rain and floods due to its' geographical location and geography.
Santomera
Santomera also put forward its' candidacy early on, and is situated virtually on the border with Alicante.
It has a population of 15,000, with good access from the North, Northwest , Murcia and Alicante. It certainly has the space, the inclination and is near enough to Murcia to attract traffic down from Alicante, which would put it into a rivalry with the capital city for many of the infrastructure reasonings, thinking about the potential market from Alicante
Access from the regions' airports, however, is not so good, and there is very little of true visitor interest in the area other than the theme park itself. This, of course, could be in its' favour, as the developers would undoubtedly prefer that the punters stay in the complex spending money rather than going outside.
It shouldn't be discounted.
Torre Pacheco has been mentioned, but has not made any official press statement. It's location would certainly be ideal, surrounded by good motorway links, although it would require a couple of major connections to be constructed. It has close airport access and good flat ground, with easy access for a workforce. It's close enough to the coast to benefit from the warmer climate and near sea feel. It is already the home to several Polaris World developments, although it is slightly off the main arterial links network. It would certainly be a vey practical location were the eyes of the developers on traffic flying into Murcia, but not so accessible if they're looking for the business from Alicante.
Lorca has also expressed interest, but has 2 major issues, its' location and current financial difficulties. Although Lorca has ample space, and is well connected from Murcia and Almeria, it is quite a long way down the region and quite a distance from the airports. It's major issues are likely to be financial, as it has been experiencing considerable difficulties for quite some time and is unlikely to have the money to provide ancillary services and infrastructure. It can also be a bit colder in the winter so is less likely to stand up as an all year round attraction centre.
Alhama de Murcia
This was the location mentioned when the story first broke in February. The main reason is the 5 million square metre plot ceded to the banks by Polaris World when it was experiencing severe financial difficulties just before the Paramount news emerged, the projected site for the Condado 2 development. The plot is centrally located, close to the airports, railway at Alhama, and motorway networks, in the centre of the region, yet within easy driving distance of the coast. The land in question already has planning consent and the nearby Condado de Alhama I has golf facilities and a partially completed residential development which has been constructed for 30,000 properties, although only 3000 have been built so far.
The Mayor of Alhama expressed his desire to be the location of the scheme in February. Alhama are an infinitely sensible and practical council. No press release has been forthcoming since the story broke for a second time.
Alhama has 19,000 inhabitants, but is ideally located to draw in a workforce, and although it has very little hotel accommodation of its' own, is well connected to other towns and nearby residential areas where there is hotel accommodation.
It's only downside is the fact that it is more to the west than Murcia itself, so it depends on how much traffic the developers feel will come from the Alicante region as to whether it is better located than Murcia. Looking at the map of Murcia, however, it can clearly be seen that whilst the main road from Alicante goes straight into Murcia, it then passes out of the other side and passes through Alhama. Alhama also has the benefit that the road then carries on straight down into Almeria, linking it to the heavy population centres further down the coast. It is also a straight run from Alhama to the Mazarron coastline, which opens up the beautiful beaches which run along this stretch of coast from Aguilas to Mazarron.
It has to be a serious contender on a par with Murcia.
Other municipalities will undoubtedly express their candidature as more is known about the project, but it will all boil down to where the prospective investors believe they will draw in the greatest number of visitors, what is offered, and who the partners turn out to be.
The full story of the project including present day status can be found by using the link to the history of the Paramount Theme Park Murcia
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