The €61 million commercial and leisure complex in Torrevieja port will begin operating after more than four years of construction, with almost 30 restaurants, cinemas, bowling and underground parking.
The new Paseo del Mar leisure and commercial centre in the Port of Torrevieja will open to the public on Thursday, June 11, according to announcements published on the official social media channels recently launched by the concession holder.
The opening will not take the form of a formal inauguration, which is expected to be held at a later date once the Torrevieja City Council’s surrounding urban redevelopment works are completed. These municipal works remain significantly behind schedule.
Even so, the centre is expected to begin operating at full capacity after more than four years of work, including the demolition phase, construction of the new fish market and restoration of the old Customs House, which began in early 2022.
The complex will include almost 30 restaurants and two retail units across 8,000 square metres of commercial space, located on a 20,000-square-metre site. It also includes a 600-space underground car park, which opened just over a year ago.
The leisure offer will feature four cinemas in the heart of Torrevieja, operated by NeoCine, as well as a bowling alley run by Ozone. The opening announcement also refers to a full weekend of events to mark the launch.
The final investment has reached €61 million, according to the concession holder, compared with an initial estimate of around €20 million. The project is led by Empresas del Sol, owned by businessman Enrique Riquelme de la Torre, with the participation of several construction companies and tourist accommodation developers from the Vega Baja region.
The Valencian regional government, under former president Ximo Puig, awarded the 50-year concession for Torrevieja’s main port area, located next to the bay. The project also had the backing of Torrevieja mayor Eduardo Dolón, who committed the City Council to redeveloping the wider port area. Municipal works worth around €40 million have since been awarded.
The centre’s restaurant offer will be dominated by major fast-food brands and themed dining concepts, mainly aimed at families. Several of the chains are not currently present in Torrevieja, while others are already common in medium-sized Spanish cities.
Among the confirmed names are Lateral, Casa Carmen, La Rollerie, Sibuya, Santa Gloria, Amorino, Brasa y Leña, Saona, McDonald’s, KFC, Foster’s Hollywood, Taco Bell and Cien Montaditos.
Construction began in early 2022 with the building of a new fish market and the refurbishment of the Generalitat’s Customs building, both of which were requirements imposed by the regional government as part of the concession.
Months later, the old fish market buildings and fishermen’s sheds were demolished. At the beginning of 2023, work began on the foundations of the new commercial space, including the underground car park.
The project required the installation of more than 500 piles, twice the number initially planned, to reinforce the structure on reclaimed land where the water table lies less than one metre below the surface. This alone forced the concession holder to allocate more than €17 million from the budget.
With the opening now imminent, the surrounding municipal works have accelerated sharply. However, several key areas remain unfinished.
The esplanade formerly occupied by Paseo de la Libertad is still under construction, and the remaining two-lane road is also due to be pedestrianised. The final traffic arrangements for vehicles entering and leaving the area remain unclear.
Work also remains to be completed on the bayfront promenade, the area around the Customs building and the refurbishment of the Mínguez dock.
The plan is for Torrevieja’s funfair to return to its traditional location this month, with renovated facilities prepared for the activity. However, the City Council has stopped giving firm deadlines.
The funfair has been operating from Antonio Soria Park for almost four years. Around 150 craft and “hippie” market stalls are also expected to return gradually, although the tender for their installation has not yet been issued. The estimated cost is around €30,000 per stall.
