September 2026

Marbella’s new PGOM: what has been approved and what comes next

If you were in Marbella this September, or have read the local or national press, you will know what everyone is talking about.

Everyone has an opinion, and a lot of information is circulating that is sometimes confusing and creates expectations that do not yet match what has actually been approved. That is why we want to explain, as simply as we can, what the unanimously approved PGOM contains, what still lies ahead, and what the timelines and limitations are.

“We’ve gone forty years without clear rules. Now, finally, we have them.”
Karen Dadonn

What was approved on 18 September 2026

On that day the municipal council gave final approval to the General Municipal Plan (Plan General de Ordenación Municipal, PGOM), the first in Andalusia adapted to the regional LISTA law. It replaces the 1986 planning framework, which had remained in force since the Supreme Court annulled the 2010 plan.

The PGOM sets out the strategic guidelines and the city model. It establishes where Marbella can grow and with what infrastructure, but it does not yet go into the detail of individual plots. Its provisions include water tanks, supply and sewage networks and electrical substations because, as the councillor for Urban Planning, José Eduardo Díaz, put it at the plenary session, “before growing, you have to plan,” as Diario Sur reported. The plan also treats streams as natural corridors and includes new roads, links between urbanisations, more cycle lanes and more parking. It also reserves 20% of residential land for protected housing.

What still lies ahead: the Urban Development Plan

The next step is the Urban Development Plan (Plan de Ordenación Urbana, POU), which is still being drafted. If the PGOM sets the model, the POU puts it on the ground: it regulates and classifies land and defines infrastructure, the opening of new residential areas, environmental and coastal protection, the tourism model and density. Over the next 20 to 30 years, what Marbella looks like will depend to a large extent on what is decided in this document.

As for timing, the POU must go through several stages, including initial approval and a period of public consultation, before it receives final approval. According to our estimates, final approval would not come before the end of 2027 or 2028, and processes of this kind tend to take longer than expected. In the meantime, and on a transitional basis, in many areas the permitted buildable area and site coverage continue to refer back to the 1986 plan. For that reason, no change should be taken for granted on any specific plot until the POU has been approved.

What this means for sellers, buyers and investors

This new planning framework offers something Marbella has needed for some time: greater legal certainty and a clearer outlook for those who buy, invest or develop projects in the city.

Since the 2010 Plan was annulled, planning uncertainty has been a significant factor in purchasing, financing and development decisions. The new situation opens up a more clearly defined scenario, one that can help restore confidence and make it easier to plan future investments.

For buyers and investors, this is not only a planning matter. Greater clarity in land planning also brings predictability to asset decisions that, especially at the upper end of the market, require a long view.

According to the town hall, around 18,000 homes were in an irregular or uncertain planning situation as a result of these years. The new plan provides a framework for resolving their status over time, with particular attention to those who bought in good faith, although this is neither an automatic nor an immediate regularisation.

Knowing the city model, and when the detail will be defined, makes it possible to plan with greater confidence. Investors can better estimate the timelines of their projects, and private buyers know the rules under which the area where they will live will develop. The fact that the plan was approved unanimously also points to a framework designed to last.

We do not aim to anticipate price increases or changes of use that do not yet exist. What we do recommend is the same due diligence as always: checking the licences, the licence of first occupation, and that the Land Registry and the Cadastre match, and working with an independent lawyer who knows Marbella. Every transaction has its own particularities and deserves its own legal analysis.2026.

What about the train and mobility

The plan reserves space for railway infrastructure, with the aim that Marbella will stop being the only Spanish city of more than 100,000 inhabitants without a train. The Spanish government already considers the section between Fuengirola and Marbella viable, but today there is no chosen route and no defined stations. That is why we advise against factoring the train into the valuation of any property in 2026, and treating with caution any advertising that relies on a future station.

We will follow every stage of the POU and explain each one here with the information available at the time. If you are thinking of selling, buying or investing in Marbella and would like to know how a specific property fits into this scenario, please do not hesitate to contact our team.

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