James Warren
THE Costa del Sols first and only amusement park, Tivoli World, has been given the backing of Benalmadena local council to save it from demolition.
Mayor of Benalmadena, Victor Navas, announced that the town council will be pushing for the protection of the land that the park sits to ensure that it does not get demolished for residential use.
Currently the park’s owners, Tremon, are over 11 million in debt and filed for voluntary bankruptcy in August last year.
Opened in 1972, the park has seen a rapid decline in condition in recent years thanks to infighting between the park’s former and current owners.
Bitter court battles between the International Company of Parks and Attractions (Cipasa), owned by Corodoban Rafael Gomez, and the real estate group Tremon have led to many of the rides in a poor state.
However Navas is optimistic that the park still has a place in the region and represents an important cultural and tourist attraction on the Costa del Sol.
“Tivoli is an emblematic brand for Benalmadena and the rest of the Andalusian community and we have full confidence in its commercial possibilities.” said Navas.
Navas has sought help from the University of Malaga to protect the site, that has already shown great interest from real estate companies thanks to its central location.
In the coming weeks, Navas and the UMA will prepare a document to submit to the Junta de Andalucia to request the ‘highest level of protection’ of the site to prevent its reclassification to ‘urban use’.
It will also be requested that the park is included in the Andalusian Territory Plan (POTA) to ensure that the iconic rides remain part of the Benalmadena skyline for years to come.
