Spanish government seeks EU funds for Paramount Park in Alhama

The Paramount theme park in Alhama de Murcia is in desperate need of investors

Despite the efforts of Premursa, the company formed by Murcia businessman Jesús Samper to promote and develop the Paramount theme park in Alhama de Murcia, it seems that no investors have yet made a commitment to the project, and in an effort to kick-start the ambitious scheme the national government is to help seek European backing.
The aim, according to Secretary of State for Commerce Jaime García-Legaz, is to secure funding to the tune of 18 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund to help construction work on the project to begin, and he also stated that his government department is doing its best to help Sr Samper in his search for private investors.

Sr García-Legaz, who is a native of the Region of Murcia, pronounced himself to be “reasonably optimistic” that the money will be granted by Brussels, and if he is proved right then there may at last be some visible sign of progress being made on the site of the park itself. It was announced eight months ago that the construction contract for the infrastructures in and around the park had been awarded to Ferrovial-Agromán and CHM Infraestructuras for 72 million euros, but work has still not started.

The Secretary of State himself commented a couple of years ago that there was not sufficient investment to guarantee that the park would be built, and until now his analysis has been shown to be correct by the lack of subsequent developments.

The Paramount Park project in Alhama de Murcia began optimistically in February 2010 when the regional minister for tourism at the time, Pedro Cruz, returned from the Fitur trade fair in Madrid with the news that Murcia would be the home of an exciting project to build a new generation themed park. Since that date speculation and enthusiasm has waxed and waned as successions of investors have considered, and rejected the project.

Although Murcia has the perfect climate for an all-year round themed park, it lacks the required volumes of tourist visitors NOW to warrant large-scale investment, and although it has superb potential for the future, the economic crisis and lack of financial return for other themed park projects, allied with the ongoing problems in opening the new regional airport at Corvera and issues over the land plot selected have all contributed to an absence of investors after four years of diligent searching.

By rights, and respecting the original licensing terms, the park should by now be in an advanced state of construction ready for its inauguration and opening next year, and although the estate agency sector has clung to hopes that investment would be found, locals are more concerned about construction beginning, then failing to conclude due to lack of total financing, than not beginning at all, as land which was originally destined for the extension of the (what was then Polaris World) Condado de Alhama development has now been replanted with fruit trees, rather than concreted over and abandoned.

Although, according to one or two unscrupulous real estate vendors, the “popular Paramount Park” is actually up and running just up the road from the properties they are marketing as we speak!

All of us trying to scratch a living over here would be ecstatic to see the financing in place for this project to go ahead and open as soon as possible, but after four years of false starts, high profile propaganda presentations, bulldozers moving in to shovel a few token piles of earth around, employment offices opening and closing, and trying to explain to those who say that we are critical of the project that our only intention is to attempt to put out the correct information rather than the inaccurate rubbish frequently printed in the non-Spanish speaking printed press, for the moment have become resigned to simply making sure potential property purchasers are aware that at this moment in time, the financing has not been secured to make this project a reality.

And are looking forward optimistically to the day when the fully financed park finally opens.

Image: The Paramount Park site. Copyright Murcia Today