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If you know Playa del Inglés well, you'll know the area's shopping offering has been looking tired for some time. Several of its established centres have struggled with neglect, fire safety issues and uncertain futures. That's about to change in a meaningful way, with excavation work already under way on one of the biggest private investments the south of Gran Canaria has seen in years.

 

A €48 million shopping centre is being built on the site of the long-abandoned former Viajes Insular building, right on the boundary between San Fernando de Maspalomas and the tourist resort of Playa del Inglés, next to the GC-500 highway. The project, which secured its municipal licence in October 2024, is expected to take around two and a half years to complete, with an opening planned for the first half of 2029.

 

The scale of what's planned is considerable. The complex will cover more than 60,000 square metres in total, with around 23,000 dedicated to commercial space across 68 units offering fashion, footwear, leisure, food, a hypermarket, bars and restaurants. Underground parking will accommodate between 815 and 864 vehicles depending on the source. The design is built around a central plaza at street level, opening up into a courtyard that widens with each floor above it.

 

In employment terms, the development is expected to generate 520 jobs in total: 30 direct positions in management, security, cleaning and maintenance, 110 in the hypermarket, and 380 across the wider network of shops and businesses.

 

The timing feels significant. The Plaza Shopping Centre in Playa del Inglés was temporarily closed in June after failing to meet fire safety regulations for the second time in five years. The Metro Shopping Centre has been closed since fires in 2011 and 2013, was officially declared a ruin in 2022, and is awaiting demolition following a legal challenge that has delayed the process. The Kasbah, dating from the 1960s, has never had a full refurbishment, with a €20 million redevelopment proposed in 2023 but no significant updates since.

 

Against that backdrop, the sight of excavators working on the new site will be welcome news for residents and business owners in the area.

 

 

Image: Maspalomas/Facebook