US casino operator Hard Rock International (HRI) has been given the green light to proceed with its integrated resort project in Spain’s Catalan region.

On Friday, the official gazette of the Catalonia ministry of economy and finance announced that it had granted formal approval of HRI’s €2b Hard Rock Entertainment World project in the ‘tourist recreational center’ of Vila-seca and Salou in Tarragona province.

The notice gives HRI three years in which to open the resort’s €700m first phase, which will operate under the banner of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tarragona. The countdown to development will officially commence once HRI submits a €10m deposit and secures the necessary building permits.

The first phase will feature 1,200 slots, 100 gaming tables, two hotels offering 1,100 rooms in total, retail shopping, a 6k-square-meter swimming pool and a 15k-seat theater. The full project is expected to be complete within five years. A public ceremony detailing HRI’s plans is expected within the next few weeks.