This time last week the vice-president and spokesman of the Aragonese government, Jose Angel Biel, said he expected the draft law for high density leisure centres would be approved at the next parliamentary session on 7 April and come into effect in August. The new law will allow the development of the Gran Scala project on land in Ontiñena, which the government hopes will benefit the whole region.

Biel commented that as the law would affect many different departments it would be the Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism that was charged with overseeing compliance with the new Act. The law will define the requirements for a project to be considered a ‘Centro de Ocio de Alta Capacidad’ and Biel emphasised that certain guarantees must be met before a project is given that status. Municipalities in the Bajo Cinca and Los Monegros areas will be part of the development process when the Gran Scala project commences construction.

The government of Aragon has undertaken to upgrade the infrastructure in the region, including roads, the railway and airport. In February London-based International Leisure Development (ILD) signed agreements for the purchase of land from 68 local owners. The company expects the first phase of the massive entertainment centre to be completed by 2012 with an investment of €7,200 million in 10 hotel casinos and 3 amusement parks, giving jobs to 26,000 employees. (E-03.31.09)

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