The president of the council of Tenerife, Pedro Martín, and the mayoress of candlemasMaría Concepción Brito, have presented the remodeling project for the Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias and its surroundings, an action that also includes channeling the channel of the ravine and the installation of hydraulic pipes.
Pedro Martín valued the importance of this work, “with which we respond to a historical debt with the city council and with the citizens. “A symbolic space for Tenerife, one of the most visited on the island as a permanent place of pilgrimage, which required this action,” said Martín, who said that, “today we come to propose dates, not just proposals. In February the project will go out to tender and in the first half of the year we hope to have the tender resolved so that we can start with the long-awaited and necessary works”.
“In addition, we have spared no effort, the Cabildo will contribute 19 million euros to the works, 5 million euros more than the initial budget, set at 14 million euros,” added Martín, who clarified that “the item will be financed on a multi-year basis , in parallel to the development of the different phases of the project, an ambitious and complex action that we estimate can reach its end in three or four years”.
For the mayoress of Candelaria, María Concepción Brito, “this is a big day for Candelaria, for Tenerife and also for the Canary Islands. We have been working on this project for many years and it makes us very happy to be able to give this news and present such an ambitious initiative as the remodeling of the Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias, a cultural, religious symbol and of our identity”.
“For our team, being here, on December 21, is exciting, the Christmas lottery has come before us and we have won the Jackpot. We are talking about the square but also its surroundings, which hold much of the municipality’s historical heritage. It is a lot of effort, work and commitment for this project to be consolidated and move forward. Undoubtedly, the impulse of the government of Pedro Martín in the Island Council has been fundamental, key, for us to be here today. We will continue to be very attentive so that the tender and award of the work is carried out in this first four-month period of the year 2023”, added the municipal councilor, at the press conference in which the entire municipal Government Group was present, who extended her gratitude. to all the people who have joined to make this project a reality.
Pedro Martín detailed some of the actions planned in the project. Specifically, it will act on some 19,425 square meters of surface, in three areas that surround the Basilica: the promenade (3,431 square meters); the Plaza de la Patrona (13,640 square meters) and the Plaza de los Artesanos (2,354 square meters). Among the outstanding works, Pedro Martín reviewed the construction of a ramp building in the Plaza de la Patrona, which will house a sacred museum, a multifunctional room and a tourist office, among other uses. He also indicated that the plaza and the current San Blas promenade and Cueva de Los Camellos will be resurfaced and Antón Guanche street will be pedestrianized, transforming it into a linear plaza at its upper end.
The mayoress of Candelaria also emphasized that “the action will coincide with the improvement of sanitation and hydraulic connections throughout this space, which will include the channeling of the La Arena ravine, the collection and channeling of the ravine and discharge into the sea, and the pipes of the district sanitation system. She also clarified that “the project has preserved the fountain of the pilgrims that is located at the doors of the Basilica, as well as the group of the Guanches.”
For his part, the insular director of Territorial Planning and Historical Heritage, Emilio Fariña, highlighted the effort made in recent years to promote this action, “the project was awarded in 2010, subsequently and after open consultation with public administrations, agreed to its modification to incorporate the channeling works of the channel that runs under the square and the implementation of other hydraulic pipes. “Last March, the Cabildo de Tenerife, the Insular Water Council and the Candelaria town hall signed an agreement to carry out the works, the project was on public display without any allegations being presented and this coming year it will begin to walk.”
