Yesterday, the Tenerife Cabildo reaffirmed its commitment to extend Tram Line 2 to the Snowman stop and decided not to proceed with the extension to La Gallega without considering technical advice, consensus with the Santa Cruz City Council, and conducting a participatory process involving citizens and groups from the Southwest district.
This decision was made evident in the amendment proposed by the insular Government (CC-PP) and Vox, which was approved with their votes, to the PSOE motion. It was agreed that the Cabildo will focus on extending Line 2 to La Gallega along Avenida de Las Hespérides instead of Los Majuelos, a proposal that was rejected.
Aarón Afonso, the spokesperson for the socialist group, criticised the creation of the Snowman stop, stating that it would involve adjusting the first 150-200 meters of Los Majuelos Avenue. He questioned whether the extension towards La Gallega would follow a different route, other than Los Majuelos, emphasizing that it would not, as CC is aware of this.
Responding to PSOE, Manuel Fernández from the PP highlighted that the responsibility lies in following the planned route to the Snowman and emphasised that any extension to La Gallega would require a prior participatory process for clarification.
Mobility Minister Eulalia García defended the Snowman stop, stating that it will enhance the pedestrian area of Los Majuelos and reduce car traffic. She mentioned that there is currently no design study for Las Hespérides Avenue and while it may not be technically feasible at the moment, they are open to considering any existing studies unknown to them. She explained that various factors, such as the target population and platform incline levels, must be taken into account when choosing a layout option, specifically recommending not to exceed a continuous value of 8.5%.
She also mentioned that the possibility of conducting a new environmental evaluation up to the Snowman stop was discussed with the Environmental Evaluation Commission, considering that the current evaluation might expire.
The plenary session also approved a budget modification to allocate 53.1 million euros, with the PSOE and Vox abstaining. This includes 18 million for hydraulic works related to the water emergency declaration, with 10.5 million designated for the Insular Water Council to acquire five portable desalination stations and connect the Los Letrados WWTP. Additionally, Balten will receive 7.5 million for improvements.
Other allocations include 12 million for bus acquisition for Titsa, three million for Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium works, and two million for acquiring the Cristo barracks based on an agreement with the Ministry of Defense. CC spokesperson José Miguel Ruano expressed hope for the Ministry to identify new land to relocate the currently strategic La Cuesta barracks for housing policy implementation.
For housing initiatives, 7.7 million euros are reserved to expand the Active Housing plan to ten million and to support the rehabilitation programme. This brings the total investment in various housing projects in the area to 17 million euros. An amendment from PSOE proposing emergency housing aid for municipalities was also approved, with a funding of 500,000 euros.
Focus on Critical Areas
Furthermore, the plenary session discussed a motion by PSOE urging the Canary Islands Government to conduct a study to identify critical areas, but the PSOE eventually withdrew it, citing concerns that the island Government’s amendment would distort the original intent. Councilor Sonia Hernández highlighted that designating a stressed municipality would not resolve high rental price issues, advocating instead for an increase in public housing stock.
CC representative Juan José Martínez emphasised the crisis in housing supply, noting that from 2019 to 2023, approximately 22,000 homes previously intended for long-term rental have been converted into vacation rentals on the island.
At the start of the session, Liskel Álvarez assumed the position of advisor to the socialist group, replacing Manuel Martínez who recently stepped down.
