The Canary Islands Parliament has rejected using 25 million Euros of public money to acquire the land where the La Tejita hotel is being built. The parties that make up the Canarian Government, CC, PP, ASG, and AHI, as well as Vox, voted against the request made by PSOE this Wednesday for the regional government to conclude the process of acquiring the land where the tourist establishment is being built, a process that was initiated in the previous legislative term.
During the non-binding resolution debate, which was followed from the public gallery in the plenary chamber by the mayor of Granadilla, Jennifer Miranda, the socialist Patricia Hernández appealed unsuccessfully – only supported by Nueva Canarias – to make this purchase operation “the beginning of a new era”, as reported by Efe. Hernández justified the operation in the preservation of “the last virgin beach in Tenerife”, in the unauthorized intervention on public domain, and in “the outcry that echoed through the streets” on 20A.
The socialist Patricia Hernández appealed unsuccessfully – only supported by Nueva Canarias – to make this purchase operation “the beginning of a new era”
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Regarding where the 25 million Euros agreed upon in the previous legislative term by the ‘flower pact’ Government (PSOE, NC, Podemos, and ASG) with the promoter of the La Tejita hotel would come from, Patricia Hernández suggested that by simply eliminating the inheritance and gift tax exemption, 10.66 million could be raised in a year.
This Wednesday’s plenary session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands. / Andrés Gutiérrez
The bloc of parties supporting the Government of the Canary Islands dismissed the non-binding resolution of the PSOE for various reasons, including that this purchase operation would set “a precedent”, as pointed out by Mixto group deputy Raúl Acosta (AHI), as detailed by Efe.
Similarly, Jesús Ramos (ASG) questioned whether “urban planning mistakes” in the Canaries should be paid for with public money, stating that the coffers would be emptied, and appealed for dialogue among all the administrations involved and the hotel developer as the only possible solution. Jennifer Curbelo (PP) and Yonathan Martín (Nationalist Group) reiterated that there is no purchase file and the latter described the PSOE initiative as “opportunistic and populist”.
Jesús Ramos (ASG) questioned whether “urban planning mistakes” in the Canaries should be paid for with public money, stating that the coffers would be emptied
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Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands government, had already confirmed on Wednesday morning, before the debate on the non-binding resolution in the Canarian Chamber, that the Government would not acquire that plot.
In an interview with COPE Canarias, Clavijo stated that the regional Government will not allocate public funds “to solve a problem that the PSOE has created, if it is indeed a problem”. The President responded to the demands of the Socialists, both through the mayor of Granadilla de Abona and the former Minister of Ecological Transition, the Minister of Territorial Policy and the parliamentary group, who insist that an agreement was reached with the developer in the previous term and that the process was initiated to prevent the construction of the hotel.
Hotel under construction in La Tejita, on the coast of Granadilla de Abona. / María Pisaca
Clavijo, who denied on May 3rd that there is a Government file to purchase the plot where the La Tejita beach hotel is being built, urged the mayor to take the initiative: “Start negotiations, find an official to sign for you and start the process. I can assist the City Council, but the mayor had a golden opportunity with the Prime Minister and the President of the Tenerife Island Council to say what she wants to do,” he said on COPE, referring to Jennifer Miranda’s standoff during the meeting on May 3rd.
Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands government, had already confirmed, before the debate on the non-binding resolution in the Canarian Chamber, that the Government would not acquire that plot
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On Thursday, May 2nd, Jennifer Miranda, mayor of Granadilla de Abona (PSOE), announced that she refused to attend the meeting called by FernandoGranadilla Mayor Seeks Solutions for Luxury Hotel and Urbanization Projects
Granadilla’s Mayor, Jennifer Miranda, met with the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, along with the Mayor of Adeje, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, to discuss solutions for the luxury hotel project in La Tejita and the urbanization project in Cuna del Alma.
During the meeting, Miranda urged the President of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila, to invest half of the planned €44 million for the Motor Circuit project in purchasing the La Tejita site where Grupo Viqueira is constructing a hotel.
The construction company behind the La Tejita hotel project, Grupo Viqueira, has resumed work in Granadilla de Abona after legal approval from the Canary Islands High Court, confirming the project’s legality.
Despite protests from environmental activists from the group “Salvar La Tejita,” work on the hotel resumed in March after being halted in May 2021 due to legal disputes.
In a parliamentary session, Jennifer Curbelo from the PP party confronted Granadilla’s Mayor for not attending the meeting with the regional leaders, questioning the PSOE’s stance on the Cuna del Alma project supported by the Adeje Mayor.
The Socialist Party’s spokesperson, Sebastián Franquis, was challenged by Yonathan Martín regarding the impact of the tourism model in southern Tenerife, blaming the PSOE for the current issues surrounding the La Tejita hotel and Cuna del Alma development.
