SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 27th Aug (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Tenerife Island Council, via the Municipal Cooperation and Housing Department, is funding the construction of 188 new social housing units through the island programme Activa Suelo in municipalities with populations below 20,000, as announced by Councillor for Municipal Cooperation and Housing, Sonia Hernández, on Tuesday.
Hernández emphasises that this programme includes a line of grants for Tenerife municipalities with a population under 20,000 to purchase land, undertake urban development works on municipal land, or acquire land for subsequent urban development.
“In all three scenarios, the land must be appropriate for the construction of affordable housing for rental purposes,” states a notice.
The programme has an initial budget of 1,500,000 euros, with co-financing from the Canary Islands Housing Institute (Icavi), and there is potential to extend this initial funding by an additional 1,000,000 euros in the current year 2024 to accommodate as many applications as possible.
The maximum grant amount for each municipality is capped at 250,000 euros, according to the councillor.
Sonia Hernández underscores that this represents “the largest investment made by the Tenerife Island Council in housing in recent decades, aimed at enhancing public housing on the island.”
Specifically, in this grant allocation, under Group A (Purchase of Land Suitable for Construction), Los Silos is awarded 14 homes and a grant of 150,750 euros.
In Group B (Urban Development Works on Municipal Land), the municipalities of El Sauzal receive support for 52 homes with a subsidy of 250,000 euros, and El Rosario, with 25 homes, also receives a subsidy of 250,000 euros.
In Group C (Purchase of Land and Urban Development Works), Buenavista del Norte is allocated funds for a total of 26 homes with a subsidy of 250,000 euros; Santiago del Teide for 50 homes with a subsidy of 250,000 euros; and La Victoria de Acentejo for 21 homes, also receiving a subsidy of 250,000 euros.
Overall, 188 homes will be financed with a budget of 1,400,750 euros.
Councillor Sonia Hernández indicates that this initiative aims to “address one of the primary concerns of citizens, which is access to housing.”
Hernández emphasises that other initiatives have been launched for this purpose, including the Activa Vivienda Programme and the Activa Suelo Programme for municipalities with fewer than 20,000 residents, as well as efforts relating to investments in housing rehabilitation.
In total, she stated, “during this financial year we have allocated over 20 million euros to projects and programmes aimed at increasing the public housing stock, responding to a social demand that is a priority for this government.”
