El Mojon, an undeveloped area of approximately 1 million square metres, has finally received long-awaited planning permission for a huge tourist development project. Located on the hillside between Los Cristianos and the TF1 motorway, the ambitious project is a joint collaboration between Spring Hotels (owner of the Arona Gran, Vulcano & Bitacora hotels) and Inversiones Marylanza SL (Marylanza Suites & Spa).
Guru understands that the project, costing in excess of 100 million Euros, will consist of a 4 star and a 5 star hotel, offering a total of 1,450 new tourist beds. ‘El Mojon’ will also feature two public parks designed to host social events, a Sports Centre, a new bus station and more. The project is expected to generate 3,500 jobs during the construction phases, followed by an estimated 3,000 permanent jobs after completion. Many residents of the area will also be delighted to learn that the project has also prompted a long-overdue redesign of the road layout where Los Cristianos meets the TF1.
However, whilst the project will doubtless improve an area that many consider to be an eyesore for newly arriving tourists, many residents and workers are less than impressed with the project. Some have expressed astonishment that the project is allowed to go ahead whilst the adjacent El Mojon hospital project remains unfinished after more than two decades of bureaucracy and prevarication.
Others highlight the existing lack of available housing for workers in the area and the abysmal traffic conditions already endured daily by workers forced to commute in from outside. Some feel that without substantial investment in affordable accommodation and improved road infrastructure and parking, the addition of 3,500 daily workers to the area could be ‘the straw that breaks the camel’s back’.