Current Status of the Senior Residence Construction in Marbella
The Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, visited the construction site of the senior residence at Trapiche del Prado this Thursday. She announced that the facility is set to open its doors in 2025. This promise was initially made in 2007, shortly after she took office. The first stone was laid in 2009, and despite the 17-year gap, she now presents it as a significant achievement.
Progress of the Public Residence for Seniors
The construction of the public residence for seniors began in January 2023, with an initial completion date set for a little over a year later. That time has now passed, but the mayor stated this morning that the project is 55% complete. She reiterated, as she did during another visit in September 2023, that the construction will be completed in the last quarter of 2024 and will “open its doors in 2025”.
Details of the Senior Residence
Muñoz stated that the residence consists of two separate buildings located in a privileged environment, with a total area of 4,400 square meters. She reminded that the facility is expected to accommodate nearly a hundred users and that “there is the possibility of expansion with a third building to increase capacity”. Regarding the agreement with the Junta de Andalucía, she said it will be made “once the construction is more advanced”.
Construction Progress of the Individual Buildings
According to the mayor, “the building located to the north, which consists of three floors above ground and a basement on an area of 2,270 square meters, is 70% complete”. As for the building located in the west, next to the original Trapiche, its construction is around 40% complete. The building will house, among other rooms, the reception and waiting area for visitors, the management and administration office, the kitchen and dining room, laundry area, staff toilets and changing rooms.
Additional Facilities and Funding
There will also be common areas and public toilets, a living room and a visitor’s room, as well as specialized care areas and a nursing station. A control post, warehouses, and waste treatment and disposal areas will also be included. Two projects totaling ten million euros are currently underway in the area: the residence (6 million) and the interpretation center (4 million co-financed with the European Regional Development Fund FEDER).
History of the Senior Residence
Shortly after taking office in 2007, Ángeles Muñoz announced the project for the residence and signed an agreement with the Junta (PSOE). Two years later, on November 4, 2009, the first stone was laid, a photo that has haunted her since. The construction never progressed further while the historic building of the Trapiche de Guadaiza, donated by the Mateo Álvarez family, languished. The mayor promised that the senior residence would be operational in 2011. Now, she is aiming for 2025, 14 years later.
