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The development of the abandoned La Rambla Commercial Centre is now well under way and it is hoped the work will be completed by the end of the year, although it’s more likely be early 2024 before the shopping centre is reopened.

 

Plans are reported to be progressing at full speed and one of the project’s flagship stores, Mercadona, is the first to come under the hammer and nail. The supermarket chain has invested 1.2 million euros in this impressive new store, which will span 4,452.75 square metres. The huge space will be divided into a ground floor of 3,957.80 square metres, a first floor of 448.37 square metres and the 46.58 square metre basement.

 

The remodelling works on La Rambla, which is owned by the promoter Tomás Olivo, began at the end of last year with the redistribution of the interior spaces, the repair of the car park canopies and the disassembly of the façade to remove the old logos. Builders have also been busy repairing the loading bays and it’s estimated that around 160 million euros will be spent in all.

 

Back in March, Cartagena City Council confirmed that the new shopping centre will be home not only to Mercadona but also to clothes stores, a major DIY chain, a gym and possibly even a cinema.

 

The then Deputy Mayoress and Councillor for Urban Planning, Ana Belén Castejón, explained that sr Olivo was in negotiations with several different retailers with the aim of filling the commercial centre with everything shoppers would want, all under one roof.

 

“It will be an important nerve centre,” she added.

 

The last time La Rambla was packed with visitors was during the intensive Covid vaccination campaign, when it was a vital element in the race to innoculate the population of Cartagena against the virus in 2021.

 

In other news: Pay and display parking tickets scrapped in Cartagena

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena