During the upcoming session on Monday, the Tenerife Council will approve a budget adjustment of 31.4 million for various initiatives, including a provision of two million Euros earmarked “for a deal with the Ministry of Defence to procure the Cristo barracks in La Laguna.
This declaration was made yesterday by the island’s leader, Rosa Dávila (CC), during a press briefing following the Government Council meeting, where she stated that “negotiations with the Ministry have progressed, and we believe that a part of it could be achievable this year.”
“This sum has been included in the Council’s budget to facilitate the acquisition and integration into the municipality of La Laguna, with designated purposes. Initially, the intention is to utilise it for residential purposes,” Dávila stated in response to a query. Moreover, she emphasised that “there have been many years of discussions about these barracks,” but “there was never a strategy to commence the necessary procedures to procure them.”
“The key is to keep advancing, collaborating with the La Laguna City Council and the Ministry, so that a significant plot of land ultimately comes under the ownership of the residents,” she emphasised.
When approached later, the mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, pointed out that “the acquisition of the Cristo barracks has been a long-standing demand of La Laguna society. The commitment shown by the Council, following discussions with the Ministry of Defence, is positive news that we trust will finally materialise. It is a process we have been advocating for a considerable time since it is a pivotal site for revitalising the entire area post the Sanctuary of Christ.”
Dávila had previously announced, subsequent to a meeting with the La Laguna City Council at the conclusion of last February, that contact had been re-established with Defence for the acquisition of land encompassing the three barracks owned by the Army in the municipality, including those of Christ and Engineers in La Cuesta, and Ofra.
Residential and Transport
Additionally, the budget modification set to be presented at the Council’s upcoming session also includes an allocation of 7.7 million for housing subsidies to municipal authorities for housing procurement and rehabilitation programmes, as disclosed by Dávila and Afonso, who declared that the Active Housing scheme will witness a twofold increase in its budget, up to 10 million, due to the escalated demand among the municipalities.
Furthermore, 12 million will be dedicated to the acquisition of buses for Titsa and three million for enhancements to the Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium, agreed upon with the Tenerife Sports Club. It also includes an allotment of 1.5 million for the training of youth through Ponos, an orientation project and entry-level employment opportunity, alongside 155,000 Euros to continue supporting initiatives of the third sector on the Island, one million for the e-commerce platform, and 500,000 Euros for the Hermano Pedro School Residence, among other schemes.
Underprivileged Areas
Regarding the decision of the Adeje City Council to demand classification as an underprivileged area, the Council president expressed her respect and endorsement of the decision, though she believes that the most effective approach to alleviate prices is through the addition of more housing. She mentioned that the Council’s role is solely to “accompany” the municipality.
Lope Afonso highlighted the pivotal role of the Council in impacting the housing market and viewed Adeje’s announcement with caution since La Orotava took similar action in October, which has yet to yield results due to the complexities of fulfilling the prerequisites. He cautioned that in many instances, the outcomes “may be counterproductive.”
Approval of the Active Land island programme by the Government Council
The Government Council of the Council sanctioned the island initiative Active Land with an initial credit of one million Euros to procure land in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 residents, fostering community development in rural regions of Tenerife by offering publicly-funded residential properties for rental, in collaboration with the Canary Islands Housing Institute. This was declared by the Council president, Rosa Dávila, and the island’s vice president, Lope Afonso.
The accord with Santa Cruz City Council for the implementation of the Inclusive Children’s Zone project in Santa Catalina park in La Gallega was also endorsed. The Council will finance the project, estimated at around one million Euros, for the establishment of a new accessible children’s facility covering approximately 3,600 square metres.
In the domain of Tourism, the contract for the development, implementation, and launch of a Digital Tourism Platform, funded by European Next Generation funds, was awarded at 547,090 Euros. Likewise, the bid for the service contract for a Tourism Cybersecurity Technical Office in Tenerife was approved.
In Sports, the terms and subsidisation call for the promotion and encouragement of indigenous and traditional motor sports and games in the Canary Islands were endorsed, amounting to 707,500 Euros.
