Sports and leisure 'megaproject' in Coín awaits Junta's decision after first major administrative stumbling block

Julio J. Portabales

Coín

Friday, 25 April 2025, 14:31 | Updated 18:19h.

The ambitious sports and tourism project in the Guadalhorce valley, 'Transcende', promoted by the company Natura Call Initiatives, S.L., belonging to the ARD Investment & Development Group, has encountered its first major administrative stumbling block.

The plan, which envisages the creation of a macro-complex in Llanos de Matagallar (Coín), with a surface area of more than 1,300,000 square metres, has received an unfavourable report from the planning service department of the Junta de Andalucía. This document states that the development is not compatible with current hydrological planning, which seriously compromises one of the key phases of the project.

The report has been prepared by the regional ministry of agriculture, fisheries, water, and rural development, and states that the application for groundwater abstraction submitted by the developer does not comply with the requirements of the current hydrological plan. Among the reasons cited are that the water extraction subsystem is overexploited, the area where the development is planned is highly vulnerable to contamination, and that the recreational use of groundwater is not permitted in that zone.

Additionally, it notes a real risk to protected ecosystems and rivers that rely on the same aquifer, and that the water resource in question is primarily allocated to supplying communities already experiencing shortages.

The regional authority itself has confirmed that the report issued refers exclusively to the groundwater concession, and that it does not represent a comprehensive assessment of the project. It has also been specified that the developer has several days to present its objections. This means that Natura Call Initiatives, S.L. will be able to provide additional documentation and respond to the technical arguments set out in the document in an attempt to reverse the result of the analysis.

The developer has dismissed the report as inconclusive. According to what they have told SUR, it is a document based on "generic statements" and lacks updated data. They have also stated that the report has "argumentative shortcomings" and that their objections will include technical information that will highlight the particularities of the project, which, they claim, have not been taken into account during the evaluation. Even so, they stress that this report does not imply the paralysis of the urban development project as such, and that they are ready to continue with the proceedings.

It is important to remember that this resolution is part of a water application made in 2024, and not part of the final sectoral reports that the Andalsuian government must issue to assess the overall viability of the project. There are still analyses to be carried out in areas such as infrastructure, electricity supply, environmental impact and mobility, among others. It will be these studies as a whole that will determine whether the project can be carried out in accordance with current legislation and without endangering sensitive natural resources.

Meanwhile, in Coín and the Guadalhorce region, there has been intense debate about the impact the project could have on the aquifer under Llanos de Matagallar. Various organisations have expressed their concern about the possibility of compromising a water source that supplies multiple population centres. Among the most critical voices is 'La Mesa del Agua', a regional body created specifically to protect the aquifer and to monitor the possible effects of urban development.

Coín town hall wanted to make it clear that they are not directly involved in this phase of the administrative procedure because it is not within their capability. However, in response to neighbourhood concerns about possible damage to the aquifer, the council has repeatedly requested a complete and independent study on the state of the water system, without relating it exclusively to the 'Transcende' project, but as a measure of general knowledge of the environmental situation in the area.

Despite not being directly involved in the processing of this specific application, the local council recognises the importance of the report issued by the Junta de Andalucía. Sources from the council stated that the document is "forceful" and that it clearly states the risks associated with the use of the aquifer. They consider that, although the developer has the right to present objections, this is a serious matter that must be followed carefully in the coming weeks. "We are waiting to see how this evolves; it is not yet a final decision, but we must be clear that this is an important step," they said.

For now, the future of the mega-project 'Transcende' is still up in the air. The continuity of the plan will depend on the progress of the objections phase and the pending of sectoral reports, which will be decisive in determining whether this ambitious sports and tourist complex can become a reality in Coín. The final decision will have to balance the economic development of the area with the necessary protection of the natural resources that underpin the well-being of the whole region.