Progress in the Las Chumberas urbanization in La Laguna continues steadily, bringing the construction of the new housing blocks closer to completion. The 79-unit building, the most advanced of the project, is currently 74% finished, as per the latest certification issued on January 31. The architect responsible for the technical area of the Municipal Society of Housing and Services of La Laguna (Muvisa) and project coordinator, Antonio Pérez, stated that the works are projected to be finalised in the first semester. “We are striving to complete the works within the first semester and wrap up all administrative procedures within the following 2-3 months,” indicated Pérez. The goal is to deliver this block of 79 homes to residents within this year. Although Pérez mentioned that providing an exact date at this moment is challenging, efforts are being made to expedite the process as much as possible.
Regarding the second building comprising 118 homes, completion stands at 44%, with a forecast to finish the works by the latter half of this year. Pérez emphasised the current difficulty in forecasting further progress.
Construction of both buildings has faced challenges due to various international crises in recent years, resulting in price escalations and delayed material deliveries, hence causing setbacks in completing the project within the initially planned deadlines. “A series of international events, such as the Suez Canal incident followed by the conflict in Ukraine, led to significant price rises. While this did not directly impact us as promoters, contractors had to navigate through price adjustments, affecting the work execution,” explained Antonio Pérez.
To address this, an addendum to the 2019 Agreement was signed last summer between the Ministry of Development, Government of the Canary Islands, Cabildo de Tenerife and La Laguna City Council, extending the timeline for the works in Las Chumberas from October 2023 to October 2027, as provided in the agreement, as announced in the BOE. However, this does not necessarily imply an extension of the first phase works until that date. “The extension was granted for four additional years to allow for flexibility in case of unforeseen circumstances since the estimates are not very close to the actual timelines,” stated Antonio Pérez.
With respect to the ongoing work in the buildings, Pérez described that the 79-unit building is in its final stages. Three of the facades are nearly completed, with work progressing on the fourth facade. Interior works within the homes are also in progress. “Once the exterior insulation system is in place and aluminium framing is installed, the home interiors proceed with flooring, plastering, tiling, kitchen and bathroom installations, and painting, with certain floors being more advanced than others,” he detailed.
Simultaneously, efforts are underway on urbanising the surrounding areas with plumbing, sanitation, stormwater management, and eventual resurfacing of exterior spaces. The objective is to conclude these urbanisation works in line with the completion of the 79-unit block by the end of the first semester.
As for the building with 118 homes, current activities involve internal partitioning and division of the homes. Following the complete facade finish of the 79-unit block, the scaffolding will be shifted to the 118-unit block to commence work on thermal insulation and carpentry. Concurrently, enhancements in communal areas and garages are taking place.
Official Procedures
In addition, Antonio Pérez highlighted concurrent efforts in processing “all administrative documentation necessary for home deliveries.” Subsequently, the acquisition of all requisite documents and sectoral authorisations from the City Council for sanitation connections, water supply, telecommunications, among others, will be essential.
For this reason, Pérez explained that sometimes the completion of works precedes the acquisition of these documents, leading to additional delays of two to three months
