MARBELLA town hall has granted a building licence for a long-awaited health centre in San Pedro.

The building plans, originally approved in 2010, were put on hold due to financial issues after the 2007 crash.

The health centre will replace an existing building on a 3,000 square metre site to provide primary healthcare for San Pedro, Nueva Andalucia, Benahavis and the eastern side of Estepona.

Marbella Mayor Rafael Pina said he was committed to ensuring planning permission was sped up so ‘the Junta can start the process of awarding the contract and beginning the building work on these much-needed health facilities’.

The Junta earmarked €4.3 million for the project in April and expect work to begin in February 2018.