Marbella approves its first new general plan since 1986

Marbella's council approved its new general plan on 18 September 2026, at a special meeting. The plan's full name is the Plan General de Ordenación Municipal, or PGOM. The PP, OSP and Vox voted for it, and the PSOE abstained. The council's notice of the approval was published in the regional gazette, the BOJA, on 9 October 2026.

The new plan replaces the plan from 1986. The town had gone back to the 1986 plan after the courts annulled its 2010 plan. The council says it is the first general plan in Andalucía written under the region's 2021 planning law, known as the LISTA. Reports on the plan say it provides for regularising around 18,000 homes, which means bringing them within the planning rules. Reports also say it keeps 20% of the buildable area in new developments for affordable housing.

Two things are still open. The general plan sets the overall structure. The detailed rules for each plot come in a second document, the Plan de Ordenación Urbana, or POU. The POU has not been approved yet. And when we checked, reports did not agree on whether the general plan had been published in the way that brings it into force.

What it means for buyers

If you are buying in Marbella, the planning status of a home matters as much as the home. Ask your lawyer three things. How does the new plan classify the home? Is it one of the homes being regularised? What can and cannot be built or changed until the detailed plan is approved?