The full session of the Council of Tenerife held this Friday approves, with the socialist group abstaining, to increase the initial investment of two million to acquire the Cristo barracks in La Laguna by 6.1 million Euros from the Ministry of Defence to allocate it for socio-sanitary use. It is a long-standing demand to gain land in La Laguna to build a socio-sanitary centre and homes, due to the underutilization of this military infrastructure.
Earlier this month, the plenary of the Council of Tenerife agreed to invest in the agreement with the Ministry of Defence to acquire the Cristo barracks (La Laguna). The island Corporation plans to build a socio-sanitary centre on the plot.
The acquisition of the Cristo lands would provide many solutions for La Laguna. In addition to the socio-sanitary centre and the possibility of including housing due to the housing crisis on the island, the government group (PSOE-CC) of the City Council of La Laguna is in favour of expanding Cañaveral Street over the barracks grounds of Cristo as a solution to traffic problems around the Las Peras path.
The Ministry of Defence and the Council of Tenerife have reactivated negotiations to try to finalize the transfer of a total of three barracks: the aforementioned Cristo, Ingenieros-La Cuesta, and Ofra-Vistabella. The island’s president, Rosa Dávila (CC), reported in February of this year that there had been contacts with Defense.
As a reminder, there was already a protocol signed between the Tenerife Council and Defence in January 2019. The Cristo, Las Canteras (now turned into a reception centre for immigrants), Ingenieros-La Cuesta, and Ofra-Vistabella (in Santa Cruz) are part of that document, with the aim for all of them to become civilian use. The document was signed by Carlos Alonso, who was the president of the island Corporation at that time, and the then Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles. Over this time, there have been some calls, more driven by goodwill than success, towards the fulfilment of that document.
Old image of the Cristo de La Laguna barracks. / E.D.
Technical studies determine a total cost of 8 million Euros to undertake the operation. Hence this increase included in a credit modification of 12,683,000 Euros. This amount includes 2.7 million for the decarbonization plan of Balsas de Tenerife (Balten) to provide floating photovoltaic panels for the San Lorenzo valley reservoir and energy efficiency works in the Isla Baja complex.
The insular Director of Finance, Juan Carlos Pérez Frías, defended the budget increase, which includes 359,000 Euros to install photovoltaic panels on the roof of the TEA and 250,000 Euros allocated to expand the boundaries of the Aguamansa nursery to cultivate species that allow reforestation of the mountain burnt by the major fire last summer.
The divergence of the PSOE arose on two issues. On one hand, the 1.5 million Euros for the restoration of Hacienda La Gorvorana in Los Realejos and on the other hand, the 900,000 for house rehabilitation.
Aaron Afonso, deputy socialist spokesperson, once again debated with Perez Frías. About La Gorvorana, a Canary architecture mansion owned by the Los Realejos City Council that is currently in a state of neglect, he suggests that this financial injection encumbers the budgets of upcoming years to provide for the 2023-2027 Insular Plan for Historical Heritage.
Regarding the rehabilitation, he points out, “We bring it for the sixth time and they don’t seem to have it clear.” “Last month they removed 1.4 million and now they put 900,000 Euros.” Afonso once again recalled the rejected amendments concerning a Social Action programme (25 million), support for Sahrawi camps, or the improvement of the aggregates.
While Frías recalled the largest housing investment in history, the socialist once again claimed the requested 20 million Euros for new construction to the municipalities whose technical offices are overwhelmed. He reminded that the decree-law of the government of the Canary Islands from last February grants powers to the council that should be used for these investments in an area where the island has an evident deficit with 15,000 applicants.
