The Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Cabildo de Tenerife and the City Council of the capital of Tenerife will seek to recover the port-city link that would give continuity to the Plaza de España and “would reunite the city with the sea after many years giving it the back”, as pointed out by the island president, Rosa Dávila.
It is an idea, that of an area with a commercial and tourist building that connects the port with the city, which has been talked about since 2011 and which, as recognized by the president of the Port Authority, Pedro Suárez, this Monday In statements to the media, beyond the conclusion years ago of the first phase (the remodeling of Plaza España and its surroundings), there is still no drafted project.
Thus, after a meeting between the three institutions involved to analyze future projects, Dávila has estimated the approximate cost of the investment for this project at around 70 million euros and has said that it is an initiative “that the chicharreros have been waiting for.” “a long time and that it would serve to reconnect with the sea.”
“Historically, Santa Cruz has turned its back on the sea and we from the Cabildo of Tenerife are committed to ending that mantra definitively,” said the Tenerife president.
For Dávila, the port-city link is a project “long defined” by the basic project that the architects Herzog and De Meuron won, although “it has not been transferred to reality”, although the will now, he has asserted, is “ bring together all economic agents and institutions, also private, to face this investment.”
On this matter, Pedro Suárez has declared that in the next four years there will be “substantial” changes in this regard, although when asked about the deadlines for the building to materialize, he indicated that the first thing will be to commission the drafting of the project, “ the basic document so that the rest can walk”, and added that they have already contacted the architects who at the time won the ideas competition.
“I know that many will take my words as a chimera but I promise you that it will be a reality in a short period of time because we are all aligned in the growth of the island of Tenerife and its port, which is the economic lung of the island,” Suárez has pointed out.
On the other hand, the island president has highlighted that the port of Granadilla “needs a boost” because “it is called to be a hub “clean energy energy”, especially from 2025, when the European measures that seek to promote the decarbonization of maritime transport will become effective.
In this sense, he recalled that there are projects aimed at making the port of Granadilla a reference in terms of green hydrogen.
Finally, he also stressed that a solution is needed for the high volume of traffic and passengers that the port of Los Cristianos presents, with 3,700 maritime maneuvers a year and more than 2.2 million passengers.
“The port is in a very precarious situation,” said Dávila, who has opted to continue with projects such as the tender for the interchange project and the undergrounding of the Chayofitas road, “which would allow traffic relief.”
Regarding the start date of works, he has indicated that it is “impossible to know exactly” but it will be “as soon as possible.”
Likewise, the vice president of the Cabildo and Minister of Tourism, Lope Afonso, has highlighted the tourist potential of the port of Santa Cruz and its specific weight as a cruise destination.
“We are going to continue collaborating with the Port Authority so that the cruise market grows and covers a broader space. Right now we are strong in the winter season and we are aware that we have the capacity to also improve the range of stays for cruise ships,” Afonso concluded.
