For eleven years, Marbella operated under rules dating back to 1986, when the city had half as many residents. On 18 September 2026, the city gave final approval to its new General Municipal Plan (PGOM), the first in Andalucía adapted to the LISTA law, completing the overhaul of its planning framework. For the property market, this matters more than any price headline: it sets what can be built, and where, in the coming years.
Why it took so long? The previous 2010 plan was annulled by the courts, forcing the city back to the 1986 document. A new Andalusian law (LISTA) and almost four years of drafting followed. At the plenary session, the governing team, OSP and Vox voted in favour, and PSOE abstained.
The key numbers
Of the municipality’s 117 million m², 53 million become urban land (13 million more than before) and 64 million are classified as rústico, a category that now absorbs the former rústico and urbanizable classes.
Rústico: where the opportunities are
For investors, this is the most interesting part. Under the new rules, rústico does not mean “no building”. About 32 million m² of common rústico are considered suitable for urban transformation, and LISTA allows tourism, tertiary and industrial projects of public or social interest there, on an exceptional basis. Each project will move forward case by case, under its own conditions. Municipal materials on the draft plan also state that coastline protection is guaranteed.
Housing and prices
In urban projects, 20% of new building is reserved for affordable housing. The mayor expects new land to ease prices. Yet purchase prices in Marbella have nearly doubled over the past decade, to around €6,000 per m², and the market remains oriented towards luxury and second homes. How new supply will affect the premium segment is still an open question.
For owners: legal certainty
The mayor cites some 18,000 homes left outside legal regularity because of the city’s planning history; the new plan, she says, provides a basis for sorting them out. The outcome for each building will be determined by the detailed Urban Planning Plan (POU), currently in preparation.
Investment is already under way
Large hotel projects are planned around Las Chapas (Río Real, Las Dunas, La Vizcaína, Residencia Tiempo Libre), and this week a €145 million financing package was reported for a €400 million luxury wellness resort next to the future Four Seasons.
