Marbella ditches Skyscraper Development for The World Marbella Project

Malaga may have been named as the happiest city to live in in all of Spain, but it's likely Marbella's residents would disagree with this sentiment. Having finally scrapped the hotly debated skyscraper project, Marbella's residents and town planners are now discussing the new plans for The World Marbella project, a development that aims to represent Europe, America, Africa, Asian and Oceania in its five sections and future residencies.

Building a Microworld

Envisaged as a microcosm that reflects Marbella's influx of residents from around the globe, the ambitious plans for the World Marbella project focus on innovative design, high end specifications for its super structures and interior finishes and top-of-the-range services for residents, once the development is finished.

Using the site originally earmarked for the unpopular skyscraper project, Sierra Blanca Estates hopes the latest plans will find favour with the Town Hall and the general public. Located just a few steps from the Golden Mile, the new project's blue prints are currently being shown to potential clients by a range of Marbella's real estate agents.

The project is aimed at the wealthiest of Marbella's property investors, for the luxurious apartments will retail for between EUR 1.3 and EUR 3. 4 million each.

Each of the five sections will boast 6 floors with a maximum of 112 apartments each. The whole site will include landscaped private grounds of ca. 32,600 square metres that cover the Sierra Blanca neighbourhood.

Apartment sizes will range from 323 to 742 square metres each and penthouses will demand the highest prices of the entire development.

Can Sierra Blanca Estates re-discover the Magic?

Sierra Blanca Estate's initial plan to build a skyscraper enraged many Marbella residents - the developers have apparently taken on board the concerns locals expressed and the new development aims to blend into the existing environment as much as possible without compromising on the best that modern architectural design has to offer.

Amenities onsite will include 24-hour security, swimming pools and landscaped gardens, children's play areas, mini golf, cycling and running tracks, a social club and various sports facilities. Not all amenities will be available to all residents, 24-hour security will only be available to the owners of the most expensive apartments and penthouses.

Unlike typical Spanish apartment complexes, these properties are going to boast high ceilings and large windows, making the most of the stunning mountain and sea views.

Local estate agents will be mostly marketing the properties to discerning and affluent Arab, British, Dutch, Belgian, German and Scandinavian buyers.

The current Sierra Blanca apartments offer their owners amazing views and close proximity to some of Marbella's most stunning nature areas. The Sierra Blanca region is beloved by climbers, mountain bikers and hikers alike.

Blending into the existing Environment

Given that the average second-hand apartment here can cost in excess of EUR 750,000 and second-hand villas go for around EUR 3 to EUR 6 millions each, the World Marbella development's pricing for their new apartments is striking a good balance, provided the developers can deliver on the kind of luxury and high-end finishings the world's wealthiest buyers have come to expect from similar developments elsewhere in Europe.

The Costa del Sol may still be more affordable than the French or Italian Rivieras but so far the general consensus among the world's wealthiest buyers has been that local design skills and building materials used have let Marbella's luxury property market down. Many affluent buyers purchase seafront villas only to tear them down and build to their own architects' specifications and designs. These rarely correspond to typical Andalucía ideas of what a home should look like.

The World Marbella project has reached quite an advanced stage in its planning stages and, once given the official seal of approval by the town council, will be forwarded to the town planning office.

No doubt the coming weeks will reveal the first feedback from regular Costa del Sol property investors who have been shown the plans and estate agents who have tried to market these top-of-the-range properties in Marbella and elsewhere in the world.