According to the spokesperson of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Valentín García, the new law was needed because the region had no rules in place, which allowed for and safeguarded the construction large-scale leisure facilities in the area.
The now approved legislation requires a global investment of at least €1bn, the creation of a minimum of 2,000 direct jobs and the creation of a minimum of 3,000 hotel rooms. However, the law was amended so that the minimum requirement for any large-scale leisure complex was reduced from 1,000 to 300 hectares. The new law was opposed by the Podemos Party arguing that it was “tailored to suit casinos” as favourable conditions will be imposed when it comes to gambling taxes.
Government spokesperson Isabel Gil Rosiña said that while the government had not discussed any specific project in particular that there were four investment groups “which are looking at the region.”
The President of Extremadura Guillermo Fernández Vara (the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party PSOE) first announced the new measures in March. The objective of the new rules is to enable and attract the development of large theme parks and family leisure centres in the region. The new law reduces urban planning and administrative deadlines, as the projects will be fast tracked as a matter of urgency.
Source: GMB / G3 Newswire
