The urban regulations that have to govern the historical complexes of the city face administrative processes that extend them almost indefinitely in time. The El Toscal Special Plan took more than 15 years to come to fruition and the Special Plan for Hotels–Pino del Oro takes the same path. After a first adjudication in 2016, and the subsequent stoppage of the document in 2019, because the Cabildo considered that certain properties were left unprotected, in 2021 the adjudicator resigned. The approval of the Canarian Cultural Heritage Law led the writing team to have to redo part of the document, for which they requested a higher budget. There was no agreement. The contract was terminated and re-bid.
The Municipal Urban Planning Management has once again awarded the document in 2023 for 150,000 euros to the company Urbanfix SL, which should have the Special Plan ready in 2025.
In this way, Urban Planning has already approved the annuities that the company will receive for the completion of the work, so that next year it will receive half of the contract, 66,800 euros, and the other half in 2025.
A wording that, in addition, will have to take into account the extension of the Historical Complex of the Hotels-Pino del Oro, which was suspended by the courts and which the Government of the Canary Islands approved again last year. A decision that the Santa Cruz City Council announced that it would appeal to the courts and that, according to Management, is in the process of being formalized. Urbanism points out that the administrative file has been claimed from the regional Executive, but they have not yet made it available to formalize the claim.
The approved extension of the Special Plan for Hotels establishes that its limits run between the Plaza de Toros and Avenida 25 de Julio, including all the properties located above the Rambla de Santa Cruz, including the Hotel Mencey and Los Lavaderos.
Below the Rambla, the limit goes down through José Naveiras, including all the buildings facing Parque García Sanabria, to include the Casas Amarillas on Méndez Núñez street. Through El Pilar, the BIC limit extends to Viera y Clavijo street, affecting all the properties located on both sides of said roads. Between Viera y Clavijo and Pi y Margall, several buildings located in the block below Méndez Núñez are included.
In the southern zone, it is extended to include the Captaincy and all its annexed dependencies, as well as Weyler Square (the Ministry of Defense already opposed in the previous file to include its buildings in the BIC).
Lastly, the section of Jesús y María street between Rambla de Pulido and Pérez de Rozas, as well as between it and Méndez Núñez and la Rambla, affects almost all the buildings on these streets and with frontages on them.
Old Santa Cruz
As for the Special Plan of Old Santa Cruz, it is still waiting to tender its drafting. Like Los Hoteles, the writing team gave up on its preparation after the entry into force of the Canarian Law on Cultural Heritage.
In this case, the bidding process has not even started yet, so if it keeps up with Los Hoteles, it may take another two years to award its writing to a new company.
