In order to manage the protection, safeguarding and transmission to future generations of the heritage values of the municipality, while regulating all urban activity that takes place in the declared area Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), begins the preparation of the Special Plan for the Protection of the Historic Complex of San Miguel de Abona.
It is an instrument that is intended to “guarantee the protection” of the complex declared Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) in 2013 by the Government of the Canary Islands. He himself occupies a surface area of 95,000 square meters, a space that includes very emblematic places in the urban area of San Miguel, located between the Plaza de la Parroquia Matriz de San Miguel Arcángel and, continuing along Calle de La Iglesia, and the Museo de Historia Casa de El Capitán.
One of the aspects in which the mayor of San Miguel de Abona Arturo González emphasizes, refers to the fact that this Special Protection Plan includes a process of citizen participation. Through it, he explains that it is about encourage the involvement of neighbors in a document that will include municipal technical staff, socio-cultural groups and political agents. It is “to know first-hand the proposals of the people who live, work or make some kind of use of this historical set.”
Arturo González clarifies that Management and Territorial and Environmental Planning (Gesplan), a public company attached to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Canary Islands, «is beginning to work on a first contact with the neighbors to define the spaces for participation, as well as detect those key agents necessary for the development of the entire process». In this way, the councilor emphasizes that “the first steps are taken to listen to the people involved in the historical complex and to expert professionals, among others.
Meetings and workshops
The citizen participation process also includes work meetings –whose development is planned for the next few weeks– and interviews, in order to gather the maximum number of opinions that are involved in decision-making in relation to the Special Protection Plan. . In addition, the municipal government also plans the realization of face-to-face and virtual workshops The theme of which will focus on the identification of the problems that currently affect the Historic Complex of San Miguel de Abona.
The declaration of Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), with the category of Historic Complex, of the urban nucleus of San Miguel de Abona dates from the beginning of 2013. With this, it is recognized that It is the best preserved historic center with the greatest heritage wealth in the south of the Island. Without being as old as Adeje, Vilaflor or Granadilla de Abona, its inhabitants have maintained the original urban configuration, around the old royal road of the Abona region.
