Marbella's New General Plan (PGOM): What It Means for Buyers and Investors

Marbella's New General Plan (PGOM): What It Means for Buyers and Investors

Marbella has a new master plan. On 18 September 2026, the town council gave final approval to the PGOM (Plan General de Ordenación Municipal), the first comprehensive plan since the 2010 plan was annulled by the Supreme Court in 2015, and the first in Andalucía drawn up under the region's new planning law.

For more than a decade, Marbella has been planned under rules written in 1986. The new plan recognises large parts of the town as they exist today, protects what should be protected and sets the framework for the next generation of development. We have read the full documentation, more than 100 documents and every map. Here is what changes, where the opportunities are, and what we check for every client.

What is the PGOM?

The PGOM is Marbella's strategic master plan. It decides how all 11,714 hectares of the municipality are classified, which land is protected, and where the major parks, roads and public facilities will go.

Under Andalucía's 2021 planning law, known as the LISTA, planning now works on two levels:

• The PGOM: the overall framework, with land classes, protected areas, infrastructure and the strategic direction of each district.
• The POU (Plan de Ordenación Urbana): the detailed rules for each plot in the urban area, including buildability, heights, uses and holiday rentals. It follows later.

Until the POU is approved, the detailed rules of the 1986 plan continue to apply within the urban area. In practice, that means continuity: building licences continue to be granted, and the plan does not suspend licensing anywhere in the municipality.

How we got here

Date	Milestone
1986	The PGOU 1986 is approved and becomes Marbella's general plan
2010	A new plan is approved, intended to regularise around 16,500 to 18,000 irregular homes
2015	The Supreme Court annuls the 2010 plan; the 1986 plan applies again
2022	The new plan moves to the LISTA procedure, split into PGOM and POU
2023 to 2024	Initial approval and two rounds of public consultation, with more than 300 submissions
2025 to 2026	Environmental statement and favourable reports from the Junta de Andalucía and the coastal authority
18 Sep 2026	Final approval by the town council
Next	Publication in the provincial gazette (BOPMA), after which the plan enters into force

The 2010 plan failed largely because it tried to use planning law to legalise irregular buildings. The new plan recognises areas, not individual buildings, assessed three alternatives and includes a full economic report. That makes it considerably more robust.

What changes: two land classes instead of three

The biggest change is structural. The old category of "urbanizable" land, land earmarked for future development, no longer exists. All land in Marbella is now either urban (suelo urbano) or rustic (suelo rústico).

Land class	Area	Share	What it means
Suelo urbano	5,310 ha	45%	The urban area; detailed rules follow the 1986 plan until the POU
Rústico común	2,956 ha	25%	The only land where future urbanisations may be proposed, with proof of need
Rústico, specially protected	1,652 ha	14%	Sierra Blanca, river corridors, coastal and road land
Rústico, preserved by planning	1,534 ha	13%	Kept free of development for now
Rústico, preserved due to risk	167 ha	1%	Mainly flood zones

Two things follow from this:

• Certainty for built-up areas: urbanisations that sat in planning limbo are now formally part of the town.
• Scarcity in prime locations: undeveloped sectors from the 1986 plan that never progressed return to rustic land, which keeps new supply tight.

Around 1,300 hectares of new urban land

The plan does not create new development sectors and sets no target for new homes. But it does enlarge the urban area considerably. We measured the official change map (R.E.1) and the map that shows how each area will be regulated (O.01.2):

New urban land	Area	What it means for investors
Built-up urbanisations now recognised	c. 740 ha	Greater legal certainty, easier financing and resale
Referred to ongoing or future partial plans	c. 142 ha	Development follows the relevant partial plan
To be regulated by the POU	c. 576 ha	Development potential; building rights come with the POU
Net increase in urban land	c. 1,290 ha	Around 13 million m², in line with the council's figure of 40 to 53 million m²

Most of this land is already built on, and for owners the value lies in certainty: a home in a recognised urbanisation stands on firmer legal ground. Part of the new urban land, however, is undeveloped, and that is where the long-term opportunity lies.

Official change map R.E.1, north of Puerto Banús. Orange: land previously outside the development plan that now becomes urban land.

The clearest example is Holanducía, the corridor between Nueva Andalucía and Puerto Banús:

• Size: around 44 hectares become urban land, including a largely undeveloped triangle of about 26 hectares along the A-7.
• Planned use: a congress centre, a future railway station and mixed use.
• Building rights: set by the POU, expected in 2027 or 2028.

Investors who position themselves before the POU secure the location; the building rights follow. As with any development, part of the value is shared with the town: 10% of the added value, land for parks and public facilities, and a share of affordable housing.

New infrastructure and public facilities

The plan reserves land for a series of projects that, once delivered, will change how the town moves and works:

Project	Area	Effect
New AP-7 junction at the Hospital Costa del Sol	Río Real, Los Monteros	The largest gain in access for East Marbella
Third lane on the A-7, Puerto Banús to San Pedro	San Pedro, Banús	Relief for the busiest stretch of the coast
Bridge over the Guadaiza	San Pedro	Connects Cortijo Blanco and Nueva Alcántara
Partial pedestrian zone on Ricardo Soriano	Marbella centre	A more liveable town centre
Coastal rail corridor with 7 stations	Whole coast	A reserved route for a future coastal railway
Congress centre, Ciudad de la Justicia, Ciudad del Deporte, education campus	Various	New civic and economic anchors
13 new parks and several river parks	Various	More green space across the municipality

These are planning reservations, not funded projects with dates. Delivery will be gradual and depends on the authorities involved. For buyers, they show the direction of travel.

Where the opportunities are, area by area

Marbella Este

The largest new supply on the coast. Three new areas at El Alicate, La Víbora and La Vizcaína are planned for up to 6,400 homes, a five-star hotel and a share of affordable housing, through their own procedures. With the new hospital junction and a road parallel to the A-7, East Marbella stands to gain the most from the new infrastructure.

San Pedro and the Guadaiza

Large hillsides in the north-west and Nueva Alcántara become urban land. The third A-7 lane, the new bridge, the education campus and a future station make this one of the most dynamic parts of the municipality.

Nueva Andalucía and Puerto Banús

Hillside locations below the AP-7 become urban land, La Campana is planned as a district centre, and Holanducía will link Nueva Andalucía with Banús. One point to follow: the POU may set limits on holiday rentals where they are concentrated.

The Golden Mile, Nagüeles and Sierra Blanca

Many older urbanisations are formally recognised, the Sierra Blanca is permanently protected and the views it frames are secured. With hardly any new building land, supply in Marbella's most established addresses remains scarce.

Marbella centre and Río Real

A pedestrian zone, new civic facilities and the redevelopment of La Ermita in the centre; the hospital extension, junction and station at Río Real.

El Madroñal and La Zagaleta are in Benahavís, and Las Lagunas in Mijas. The Marbella plan does not apply to them.

What we check for every client

The new plan gives whole urbanisations certainty. The status of an individual property, however, still depends on its licence, its building file and, in future, the POU. Before a client commits, we check:

• Land class: on the official map O.01.1, urban or rustic and which category.
• POU status: on map O.01.2, whether the plot still awaits detailed planning.
• Licences: the building and first occupation licence, and the AFO status for older buildings without one.
• Flood zones: and the distance to streams.
• The coast: public coastal land (DPMT) and the protection strip.
• Noise conditions: 15 new development areas need approved noise protection before a first occupation licence, which matters for off-plan handover dates.
• Woodland and fire: safety strips within 400 m of woodland.
• Planned parks, roads or facilities: on or next to the plot.
• Old sectors: land that returns to rustic, and the deadlines for sectors still in progress.

Good to know

Where land changes from rustic to urban, the cadastral value, and with it the IBI, may rise. From the end of 2027, golf courses may only be irrigated with reclaimed water.

What it means for prices

Segment	Our expectation	Why
Existing villas on the Golden Mile, Sierra Blanca, Nagüeles	Stable to rising	Scarce building land, protected surroundings
San Pedro, Nueva Alcántara, Guadaiza	Rising	Infrastructure, new urban areas
Nueva Andalucía, La Campana	Rising	Greater legal certainty, new centres
Las Chapas, Elviria, Marbella Este	New supply, better access	New residential areas, hospital junction
Undeveloped land in the new urban area	Value potential	Building rights with the POU
Beachfront plots	Scarce, stable in value	Strict coastal protection

We do not expect an immediate market-wide price effect. The plan's influence will build over time: through certainty in the established areas, scarcity in prime locations and new infrastructure in the east and west.

Important: it is not in force yet

The plan enters into force the day after its publication in the BOPMA, the provincial gazette. As of mid-October 2026, that publication was still pending.

What this means in practice:

• Buying now? The 1986 rules still apply within the urban area, and licences continue to be granted.
• Legal challenges: from publication, the usual two-month period for appeals before the regional high court (TSJA) applies.
• The next milestone: the POU, expected in 2027 or 2028, will decide what may be built on each plot and settle questions such as holiday rentals.

Planning to buy on the Costa del Sol?

A master plan will not decide whether a home is right for you, but it belongs in your decision. Speak to Smartmove Marbella about your search in Marbella, Benahavís, Estepona and Sotogrande. We have analysed every document and every map, and we review each property against them before you commit.

Conclusion

After eleven years back under a 1986 rulebook, Marbella has a modern plan. It brings legal certainty to whole urbanisations, keeps prime locations scarce and opens new land in a targeted way, with the largest gains in East Marbella, San Pedro and the corridor between Nueva Andalucía and Puerto Banús.

For buyers and investors, the details matter more than ever. The right location, the right planning status and the right timing now make the difference.

This article is for general information and is not legal or tax advice. Statements about individual plots should be confirmed with the Ayuntamiento de Marbella and a Spanish lawyer.