Tolkien-inspired park attracts dozens of bidders

THE future of the planned ‘Tolkien-inspired’ theme park in Rincon de la Victoria is unclear.
The latest project, created by the town council, has attracted the attention of 25 private companies, which have put in tenders for construction work.
The project, dubbed ‘La Comarca’ (The Shire), was presented during the international tourism Fair FITUR, by former Mayor of the Town Francisco Salado.
Shortly after its presentation, several critics pointed out copyright issues would be an obstacle to construction, as the former government team had n bought the legal rights to reproduce characters, which were directly mentioned during the presentation. In addition, they were accompanied at Fitur by characters which closely resembled those created by JRR Tolkien.
However, the former Mayor explained that these legal aspects has been thought of and dismissed concerns, saying the park would be inspired by “the magic of fairy tales, fantasy and elves, which are universally known and do not belong to any author.”
After the local elections of May 24, the new four-way coalition in control of the council is not so sure about the major investment (estimated at €1.7 million). Municipal sources explained that the project will have to undergo a feasibility study. Once this is done, they will evaluate whether the park project goes on or not.
Despite that, the project has sparked great interest amongst private companies, even though the council has not yet revealed whether the park will be managed by a municipal department or private company.