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The Lagomar Legacy: What will happen to the site of the demolished ghost hotel?
The demolition of the abandoned building marks the beginning of plans to revitalise La Manga’s landscape
The demolition of the old Lagomar ghost hotel back in April marked a turning point for the landscape of La Manga, but the enormous plot where the dilapidated building stood until recently is now a gaping hole on the horizon.
Built in the 1970s but never used, the abandoned structure had blighted the landscape for decades and posed countless health and safety risks. The San Javier Town Council’s initiative to tear it down brought much-needed change to the community.
Since then, the local government has set its sights on further revitalising the coastline, tearing down at least nine other abandoned buildings, starting with the shopping centre opposite the Doblemar hotel.
Spanning a vast 20,000 square metres, the Lagomar complex had been a prominent part of the area's scenery. However, by 2012, it was declared in ruins due to the worrying deterioration of its structure, a consequence of almost five decades of exposure to the elements.
Despite years of demands from concerned locals, the demolition process was fraught with delays and interruptions. Finally, in November 2023, the council took decisive action, and the works continued without interruption until their completion in the spring.
The huge project cost a staggering 800,000 euros, and the resulting debris amounted to 400 tonnes and 85,000 cubic metres.
Now, with the demolition complete, attention turns to the future of the prime piece of frontline real estate.
According to Antonio Martínez, San Javier’s Councillor for Urban Planning, the land is privately owned by Intramanga and is zoned for hotel development. However, before any new construction can take place, the owners must settle the expenses incurred by the previous property, a process that is currently underway.
While it is still early days, the owners of the plot could technically start making plans and taking steps to develop the land, even though they still owe taxes on it, Councillor Martínez explained.
What that would look like is still uncertain, but as the land is still registered as being for hotel use rather than, say, a residential development, the owners would have to apply to change the usage licence if they wanted to build anything other than a hotel.
So in theory, while they can’t lay a single block until their debts are settled, Intramanga could very well get the ball rolling on another hotel project on the old Lagomar plot.
Image: Ayuntamiento de San Javier
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