For the first time in the history of the El Mojón partial plan, the two completed – and closed – parks of this enormous land have been illuminated in recent weeks, offering a little light at the end of the tunnel to the more than 23 years that have passed for the urban unlocking of this area, located in a strategic position: in the centrality of the Southern Region and at the entrance to the town of Los Cristianos.
This newspaper has been able to see how, on different days, the two parks, to the right and left of Juan Carlos I Avenue, or TF-655, which divides the land of the partial plan into two, light up when night comes.
These are two spaces of 25,000 square meters each that, when they are received by the Arona City Council, will become public. For now, they will continue in private hands, although they are already preparing for the arrival of that moment. Sources from the Compensation Board, which represents the different owners, have explained that they are “doing tests with Endesa to see the technical details”, as well as the state of the maintenance of the parks.
“Once these tests have been carried out, and the economic cost of lighting the parks has been studied, we will consider leaving them on,” they added. El Mojón is a strategic land of almost one million square meters, whose majority use is hotel and residential. In it, the development of fifteen projects of all types has been requested, such as accommodation, homes or establishments of well-known brands. The planned hotels are all of medium-high and high level and it is estimated that the investment could reach 1,000 million euros.
150,000 public square meters
The Arona City Council, for its part, would be responsible for the two parks, as well as a large plot of land for cultural use. Together they would reach 150,000 square meters. In May of this same year, shortly before the municipal elections, the Corporation and the representatives of the Compensation Board signed an agreement for the reception, which is a roadmap that, with the approval of both parties, should be executed in the coming months, so that individuals can begin to apply for licenses, pending the corresponding report and its approval.
However, official sources indicated that the legislative changes introduced in July have forced the parks to also have an environmental impact report for their reception, which would have required modifying the agreement.
Not only that, but this document would also have been simplified, so that, in a first phase, the reception of the urbanization and, subsequently, that of the two parks can take place.
Hotel chains, such as Spring, Marylanza and HG, have already announced the creation of new accommodation places. Large stores have also shown interest, such as the German firm Lidl.
The Compensation Board has already advanced during the technical meetings that the buildability would be limited to a third of the space and that it would opt for an architectural concept that the property describes as “friendly”, with “large spaces and green areas.” .
Of the fifteen private projects planned, four would be considered hoteliers, at least for the moment and until effective reception encourages other investors.
Adding all that has been proposed, the creation of more than 3,000 direct jobs is estimated, which reflects the relevance that this land has, both for the municipality and for the Island, since it is one of the largest existing pockets.
