Comillas Waterfront Promenade

A narrow pavement and a large car park along the seafront have been reshaped into a promenade. The design treats the shifting sand of the coast as part of the project, softening the line between town and beach.

The seafront is organised as two parallel bands: a continuous route beside the historic balustrade, and a planted strip set further inland. Together they make a sequence of open walking space, shaded pauses and quieter paths.

Wind, tides and beachgoers carry sand across the edge of the town. Instead of treating it as debris, the design accepts its movement as a condition of the coast. Permeable paving and planted beds let sand settle into the promenade, undulating bands of concrete pavers recall the patterns of wet sand, and photocatalytic pavers help reduce pollutants in the air.

Inland, the green belt brings native planting, gentle landforms and places to sit, taking cues from local dune ecosystems and using vegetation to give shade, support biodiversity and temper urban heat. Limestone blocks recovered from discarded coastal armour stones are set into the landforms as informal seats, alongside accessible benches with backs and armrests.

The work also includes ice cream kiosks that reinterpret the glazed galleries of the region’s architecture, renewed beach access, a restaurant terrace and new lighting. Parking is reorganised around a pedestrian axis to a former canning factory, and a new roundabout improves traffic flow and safety.