The Minister of Public Works asserts that there is no public land of Icavi “dead of laughter” awaiting development.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, APR. (Press Europa) –
Pablo Rodríguez, the Minister of Public Works, Transportation and Housing for the Canary Islands Government, stated on Tuesday that the decree aimed at streamlining urban licenses, which was approved on Monday by the Governing Council, was negotiated with the Canarian Federation of Municipalities (FECAM).
“This is not a matter for the future; it has been discussed, communicated, and negotiated with the Canarian Federation of Municipalities itself,” he responded to a question from NC-BC during a parliamentary commission, refuting allegations that he is “usurping” municipal functions.
The minister highlighted that the Supreme Court has already determined that an administration may engage with other agencies for the processing of administrative procedures in exceptional situations or when there are insufficient technical or material resources to manage them.
“What we are proposing is collaboration with the municipalities by creating mechanisms and new tools to assist in resolving problems they are currently unable to tackle,” he explained.
He emphasised that he is not “pointing fingers” at the municipalities for the “housing emergency,” which is not solely a Canary Islands issue but is prevalent throughout Spain and within the European Union.
“We all share responsibility—some more than others— and our focus now is not on assigning blame but on finding solutions, and this is another solution,” he stated.
Rodríguez asserted that “it cannot be disputed” that the current administration is offering “more instruments and tools” to confront the housing crisis, including the development of land that the Canary Housing Institute has at its disposal.
“They are either under construction or in the planning phase; there is no land that is ‘dead of laughter’ as has been the case for so many years,” he mentioned.
He pointed out that obtaining an urban license is often a “via crucis” in numerous municipalities, particularly for constructing protected housing, as it necessitates a provisional rating from the Canary Islands government before the license is issued and final approval granted.
“It’s not uniform across all 88 municipalities, but it is true that in some, for instance, there is only one municipal technician managing all the licenses, which is clearly inadequate,” he elaborated.
The Government has relied on reports from builders’ associations and certain consultants to develop its licensing streamlining decree, which identifies a typical delay of around two years when the legal timeframe is three months.
He also noted that the delay in obtaining a license results in additional costs for housing, amounting to between 5,000 and 9,000 euros.
NC-BC: They seek to “supplant” officials
Carmen Hernández (NC-BC) criticised the minister for utilising data from private reports rather than official agencies, arguing that the analysis is “incomplete.” She defended that “it is not the general trend” across all municipalities for the average time to issue a license to be two years.
She further remarked that it is “starting to seem” as though municipalities are being blamed for being “the cause of all housing issues” and stressed that there is “kidnapped” public land in numerous municipalities.
She also raised concerns that the Canary Islands Government could be overstepping the functions of the municipalities: “How can an autonomous law interfere with a strictly municipal competence, which is also regulated and subject to the judgement of a local official?”
In her view, to “supplant” the roles of officials “is a clear act of undermining the State and its institutions.”
The MP also expressed her discontent with the Executive, accusing them of opting for the “shortest route” with “little success” in promoting the construction of protected housing in the private sector and “not committing to constructing social housing for low-income groups.”
