Tomás Olivo will build homes on the site of the old Radio Nacional studios in the town centre

The Partido Popular Town Hall in Marbella has granted a building licence for the redevelopment of the famous ‘casona’ building on the Avenida Ricardo Soriano which used to be home to the studios of Radio Nacional.

The interesting thing is that building permission for homes in a five-story block on the site has been granted to the businessman Tomás Olivo, despite the fact that he is implicated in the Malaya corruption case. One of his companies purchased the building four years ago at auction when central government put it up for sale.

Marbella town planning councillor, Pablo Moro, said that the building permission was no more than an administrative act, given that the application was legal under the PGOU approved for the town in 1986.

The opposition Socialists say they will appeal the decision, considering the town is to lose a site which should be used for social purposes.