The Güímar City Council has been granted permission to evict residents of the affected properties who returned to their homes, despite restrictions in place for this coastal hamlet. The Contentious-Administrative Court number 3 permits the Consistory to enter the residences within a non-extendable timeframe of two months. The Municipal Government will await the arrival of the vehicles pertaining to each affected property to ascertain the date and time for the evictions to take place.
The residents of the affected areas vacated their homes on March 10, 2021, following the City Council’s order due to the instability of the slope in this location beside the southern highway tunnel as it passes through Güímar. By the end of 2023, the Local Police have noted that some residents continue to occupy the hamlet. They are doing so in light of the inability to dispose of the committed reality by the City Council, which they had benefitted from for a time until the company contracted to ensure the slope ceased paying the rent.
Nine months of delay
On August 9 of the previous year, the eviction order was issued. In light of this, the City Council sought authorization from the Court. The Public Prosecutor’s Office, referencing various engineering reports in the municipal file, asserts that “there is a significant risk of landslide that endangers property and individuals, thus the eviction of the premises is imperative.” This was stated in the order issued by Judge Cristina Escamilla the previous Friday, on the 16th.
Controversial works
Through a decree, on March 12, 2021, the City Council entrusted the emergency reinforcement and consolidation works for the affected areas, a contract signed on May 6 of that year with an initial budget of 342,865 euros. On June 9 of the same year, a storm of tidal surges rendered the area inaccessible by destroying the access route. Costas approved the enlargement of the emergency area with the Provisional Conditioning Project of Camino de las Las Las Caes for machinery access, at a cost of 94,656 euros.
In June 2021, the works’ management team produced an extraordinary report in which it estimated the cost of the executed works at 1,037,180 euros. Subsequently, the General Secretariat and the contract manager dispatched a notice requesting the Mayor’s Office to “order the cessation of the works.” The Mayor decreed (August 26, 2021) and “ordered an immediate suspension of the slope reinforcement works.” The successful company has filed an administrative appeal against the resolution of the contract for non-compliance, which remains pending judicial resolution.
Support for residents
In May 2024, the Güímar Municipal Government approved a subsidy of 6,600 euros for each affected resident to assist with the eviction and closure of the properties. This financial aid persists today and represents the largest amount among the various grants provided by the Güímar council individually.
The works aimed at securing the slope of the affected properties have been halted since September 2021. The impacted community has voiced their discontent on numerous occasions, given that they vacated their homes months ago and more than four years have elapsed since then. The matter is now in pursuit of resolution.
