The Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, and the Vice President of the Island and Councillor for Tourism of the Cabildo, Lope Afonso, convened a working meeting yesterday to discuss the progress of several joint initiatives concerning the municipality’s coastline. This included enhancements to the area surrounding La Barranquera, refurbishment of the El Arenisco promenade, and the reinforcement of slopes alongside the access pathway to Arenal beach, among other matters, as explained by the Mayor. Also in attendance were the Councillors for Works, Beaches and Swimming Pools, and Tourism, Ángel Chinea and Estefanía Díaz, respectively, along with technicians from both administrations.
“The purpose of these meetings is to coordinate and advance all the projects that are critically needed for the renovation, urban development, and enhancements of La Laguna’s coastline,” stated Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, who emphasised “the complete and total willingness” displayed by the island’s vice president.
Among the key projects discussed, Lope Afonso revealed that phases II and III of the redevelopment, sanitation, and enhancement of the La Barranquera surroundings in Valle de Guerra are the most progressed. “These are outlined in the execution project, and once the final technical details are resolved, they will be ready for tendering,” he added. Furthermore, he announced, “the budget for the material execution of the work will surpass four million.”
This amount will be added to the budget for the other projects anticipated to enter the execution phase next year. “I reiterate, the Cabildo’s commitment is robust and what results from these projects will be incorporated within the Tenerife and the Sea programme,” he stated.
Another advanced project involves the restoration and refurbishment of the El Arenisco promenade in Punta del Hidalgo, for which “work is currently in progress to present the projects, and the necessary permits are being sought from the General Directorate of Coasts,” explained the mayor. Additionally, in response to the urgent action needed for safety reasons to repair a section of the promenade severely impacted by strong waves, “we will expedite the timeframe to adapt it according to the outcome of this action” and subsequently improve the entire promenade, added Lope Afonso.
The Arenal
The Vice President of the Island highlighted that the meeting not only facilitated advancements in the development of “the projects that were already planned,” but also incorporated “some initiatives proposed by the City Council in this regard” that were not factored into this year’s budget but will be included in the financing programme for Tenerife and the Sea in the following year, such as the revitalisation of Arenal beach in Bajamar.
“Initially, measures will be taken to ensure safety by reinforcing the slope, and in addition, studies are being conducted on the proposal put forth by the City Council to facilitate access through the centre of what is the descent to the beach, to what is deemed enclosed like the Arenal,” clarified the mayor.
Conversely, the local leader indicated that the council has also submitted to the Cabildo “the formal requests from the residents of the Jover area concerning additional access points for recreational boats, for which we are also awaiting responses from Costas.” In regard to the outstanding issues with Costas, he highlighted the efforts made by this entity of the Government of the Canary Islands, “which has promptly commenced work to address the challenges we are encountering when submitting the proposals.”
