The new president of the San Pedro business association, Apymespa, identifies housing, communications, and excessive regulation as the main problems facing the business fabric of the Marbella area.
The Association of Small and Medium Enterprises of San Pedro Alcántara (Apymespa) has highlighted the two major obstacles that, in its view, hinder the economic development of the locality: excessive bureaucracy and lack of industrial land. This was expressed by its new president, who has taken office with the intention of "raising awareness among administrations to be an ally rather than a hindrance."
A diverse fabric but with common problems
San Pedro Alcántara, as described by the business leader, has evolved from a tourism-based model to a multidisciplinary ecosystem where international schools, leading medical centres in Europe, and global tech firms coexist. However, this diversity does not hide the structural deficiencies. "Housing and communications have become a significant problem," he warns.
The president of Apymespa emphasizes that the multicultural population of San Pedro is a strength, but also a challenge. "Few places have so many nationalities coexisting," he states, which demands an adaptability that, according to him, local businesses demonstrate daily.
Fifteen years waiting for the industrial estate
One of the most pressing issues is the legalisation of the second phase of the industrial estate in San Pedro, a project that has been pending for over fifteen years. "It seems we see light at the end of the tunnel," the president points out, although he criticizes the slowness of the administrations and the supplying companies. "It is incomprehensible that they are a burden instead of a support," he adds.
The estate, included in the General Urban Planning Plan (PGOU) of 1986, provides jobs for thousands of people in the area. "It does not depend on the new urban plan; it is a matter of political will," insists the head of Apymespa.
Continuous training and fewer obstacles
Among the measures that the new president wants to promote is continuous training for entrepreneurs within their own companies, to turn San Pedro into a "benchmark for entrepreneurship" throughout the region. The second priority is to reduce bureaucracy. "There is an excess of regulation that hinders the local economy," he laments.
Apymespa has also requested aid for businesses affected by prolonged works, although so far there have been no significant advances. The president hopes that the new phase of the association will serve to "improve the business sector" of the town as much as possible.
Looking to the future, the leader appeals to the entrepreneurial spirit of the new generations, who "are not satisfied with the established." He concludes: "We have a territory that offers us almost everything; it only remains for the administrations to row in the same direction."
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