Marbella's Albergue África underground car park: nearly 60% of excavation complete
Marbella town hall says 58.9% of the earth has been removed from the site of the planned underground car park on calle Salvador Rueda. The project will add 571 parking spaces and sports facilities near Miraflores.
By Costa del Sol Journal Newsroom · · AI-assisted
Work on a new underground car park at the Albergue África site on calle Salvador Rueda in Marbella has reached an important milestone. According to the Ayuntamiento de Marbella (town hall), 58.9% of the plot has now been excavated.
The town hall says about 33,000 cubic metres of earth have been removed so far, out of a planned total of 56,000.
Where the works stand
Diego López, the councillor responsible for the project, told the town hall that excavation is one of the main tasks in the current phase. The other is finishing the retaining wall that holds back the surrounding ground.
López said the project as a whole is about 15% complete. He said this figure applies both to the planned timetable and to the budget, although the town hall's statement does not give the total cost or a completion date.
According to the councillor, a perimeter wall made of 480 micropiles (narrow reinforced piles drilled into the ground) has already been built around the excavation. Crews are now placing steel reinforcement and pouring concrete for the capping beam, which links the tops of the micropiles. Once that is finished, the first row of anchors will be installed to tie the wall more firmly into the ground.
Excavation is continuing at the same time. The earth is being removed in stages to create platforms at different levels, which give access to the machinery that will install the anchors.
What is being built
The town hall says the car park will have 571 spaces over two underground floors, with separate entrances from calle Salvador Rueda. Plans include:
- spaces adapted for people with reduced mobility
- electric vehicle charging
- stairs and lifts linking the car park to street level
López said the scheme is intended to ease parking pressure around the Miraflores area. He also said it will give residents new sports facilities and places to meet.
Above the car park, the surface will be turned into public space. According to the town hall, this will include:
- two artificial-grass 7-a-side football pitches, each measuring 50 by 30 metres
- a multi-sport court for basketball, futsal, handball, volleyball, tennis and badminton
- four team changing rooms, two referees' changing rooms, a first-aid room and a storeroom
- spectator stands and accessible walkways
- gardens with native plants, trees and shaded pergolas
- grassed areas for outdoor activities
- a paved area where marquees and picnic tables can be set up
Why it matters
Finding parking is a regular problem in parts of central Marbella. For people living around Miraflores, or thinking of buying there, the project promises several hundred extra spaces and new open-air and sports facilities.
However, with the overall works reported at around 15% complete, residents should expect construction activity on calle Salvador Rueda to continue for some time. The town hall has not published an opening date in this update.
