Yesterday, the Governing Council of the Tenerife Cabildo approved a collaboration agreement with the Government of the Canary Islands, allocating a total of 45 million euros until 2028 for the construction of 257 homes under a social rental scheme across seven municipalities on the island. This was announced by the island president, Rosa Dávila (CC), and the vice president, Lope Afonso (PP). Both representatives emphasised that the Tenerife Cabildo is the first island institution to sign such an agreement aimed at “the promotion and construction of public housing,” thereby recognising its new responsibilities as a result of the regional Government’s royal decree of urgent measures regarding housing, which permits councils to directly develop, tender, and construct social housing.
Afonso clarified that of the 45 million euros allocated in the agreement, 25.7 million will be financed by the Government via the Canarian Housing Institute (Icavi), while 19.3 million will come from the Cabildo. He detailed the plan to construct 257 protected homes in seven municipalities: Santiago del Teide (17 homes in Arguayo, costing approximately 3.3 million), El Sauzal (17 on San Nicolás Street, priced at 3.2 million), Granadilla (47 in Cuevas de Cho Portada, costing 7.9 million), Güímar (30 in Las Cruces, at 4.6 million), Los Realejos (27 homes, at 5 million), El Rosario (29 homes, at 5 million), and San Miguel de Abona (90 homes for a total of 15.7 million).
Afonso stated, “The commencement of construction for the initial developments in Santiago del Teide and El Sauzal is scheduled for 2025, with a maximum deadline for the remaining builds set for 2028.” He noted that these homes, once constructed, “will be managed by Icavi to include them in the public housing stock designated for the social rental protection scheme.”
Teide
Additionally, the Council approved an investment of 1.8 million euros for the renovation and enhancement of public infrastructure within Teide National Park. This initiative, part of an agreement with the Department of Ecological Transition of the Government of the Canary Islands, forms part of a comprehensive investment totalling 5.4 million euros, which includes measures aimed at regulating visitor numbers.
In this context, the island president detailed that starting next January, the plan involves the installation of “nine traffic surveillance cameras and traffic gauges at the four road entrances to the national park and in high-traffic areas, along with 30 gauges on the trails, which will allow real-time measurement of visitor numbers.” “This is intended to prevent overcrowding on the trails and safeguard the natural resources of the Teide National Park, which is a significant area,” he asserted.
Dávila elaborated that these cameras and gauges “will enhance surveillance as they coincide with the transfer of powers for the national park, enabling us to have more guards and staff, and the information from these devices will empower us to act more promptly.” She added that this is “an initial step towards our aspiration to implement an ecotax in Teide National Park.” Furthermore, the agreement also includes the adaptation and enhancement of the park’s 41 trails, the 32 viewpoints, the exteriors of the Juan Évora ethnographic museum, and the Alto de Guamaso and Roques de García rest areas, along with the addition of five interpretive tables at strategic locations.
Other agreements
In a different vein, Dávila and Afonso reported that the Government Council also approved an early call for grants in 2025 to finance NGO projects, allocating two million euros to enhance the employability of the most vulnerable individuals. Additionally, there will be an investment of 2.1 million euros in grants for the restoration and promotion of Historical Heritage in various municipalities on the island. Furthermore, the Island Programme for Tourism Strategy and Regeneration 2024-2027 was definitively approved, along with three actions related to the comprehensive water cycle management: the first phase of the Candelaria-Punta Larga WWTP, the development of the Los Tarajales wastewater pumping station and its connection to the regional WWTP in Valle de Güímar, and the pumping of treatment water from Abades (Arico).
