Paramount theme park boss vows to fight on despite lack of progress

Still no investors and no construction work at the site of the Alhama de Murcia Paramount project

It was reported in the La Verdad newspaper this Saturday that businessman Jesús Samper is still not throwing in the towel and abandoning the Paramount Theme Park project in Alhama de Murcia, although in reality the grand scheme has still failed to get off the ground and shows very few signs of doing so. 

It is now almost six years since the intention to build the huge Paramount Park and Lifestyle Center outside Alhama was announced, but in the intervening period all of Sr Samper’s attempts to secure the necessary funding from Spanish or foreign investors have proved unsuccessful, and no progress has been made on construction. 

In September the offices of Premursa (the company headed by Jesús Samper and charged with promoting the development and securing investment) closed down in Alhama and it seemed that an official end to the project could be near, but Sr Samper now explains that having obtained a commitment to government aid of 16.2 million euros should the theme park be completed – money which would be provided from European funds - he has requested that the deadline for construction starting be extended. If this request is heeded, Premursa’s contract will be extended.

However, the task facing Premursa is by no means an easy one. The government’s contribution will amount to an estimated 8% of total construction cost, and the first phase of work has already been awarded at a price of 72 million euros without any other investment becoming available. 

It’s not quite true to say that no work at all has been done at the site of the Paramount park: in May 2012 the first stone was ceremonially laid, but over three years later the second one is still waiting. No licence has been issued by the Town Hall for work on infrastructures to be performed, and the only thing which has been achieved is the purchase of 1.2 million square metres of land for 10.3 million euros. After six years, and having passed the date of mid-2015 when the facilities were initially expected to open to the public, this land and the licence purchased from Paramount are the full extent of what was billed as a major international tourist attraction which would put the Region of Murcia on the map once and for all. 

Arguably most worrying of all is the almost complete lack of information emanating from Premursa. Neither the Instituto de Fomento nor the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Employment in the regional government is aware of any positive developments regarding the project, and the involvement of Sr Samper in the ailing fortunes of Real Murcia football club and the Santa Mónica group to which Premursa belongs merely adds to the feeling that the theme park may be doomed.

The regional government initially invested 200,000 euros in Premursa, but minister Juan Hernández appears to be anticipating that this investment will have been in vain when he reports that at least the return of the funds is guaranteed by the value of the land acquired. 

Despite all of the signs pointing to the failure of the Paramount Theme Park, though, Jesús Samper continues his attempts to sound positive. In April Premursa reported that the scheme was progressing smoothly, and in La Verdad on Saturday Sr Samper explained that his intention is to re-float the project and start the hunt for investors again. 

He also maintains that he intends to meet Diego Conesa, the Mayor of Alhama de Murcia as soon as possible in order to “analyze the situation”: last month Sr Conesa explained that he has been waiting for this promised meeting, and that the reason for the Town Hall not issuing licences to the project is that the documentation requested from Premursa has not been forthcoming. 

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