A group of regular users of El Socorro beach, the main one in the municipality of Los Realejos in the north of Tenerife, and one of the leading surfing spots on the Island, complain to Canarias Ahora that, “under the cover of night and with malice aforethought,” the Town Hall (led by the PP with an absolute majority) uses a digger to, according to the municipal version, enable better accessibility with ramps through the sand and up to close to the water’s edge. These regulars at El Socorro consider this kind of construction vehicle completely unnecessary for such a purpose and find it very suspicious that “every year this is done at night, without warning and without even being announced and disseminated on the municipal website, where they publish almost every little thing that the local government carries out.”
The governing team, on their part, insists that it is a routine action every summer in favour of “universal accessibility” and emphasises that “stones are not removed, but pushed aside to place the walkway.” Therefore, they consider it an essential task and that no one can oppose improved accessibility that facilitates the enjoyment of the best beach in the municipality for all kinds of residents, so they believe that those who criticise this measure should ask questions before passing judgement.
In contrast, the users who denounce this situation insist to this newspaper that the fact that an action like this is not announced raises doubts about whether or not it has the pertinent Coastal Authority permit. They recall that in the past, there were similar actions that were ultimately halted precisely due to lacking the appropriate approval, following a complaint to Seprona and the intervention of this Civil Guard body. In the opinion of these regular swimmers, it is highly questionable and they are almost certain that the use of a digger is not necessary to set up the walkways that have been installed, “especially because it disrupts the balance of the beach, and that is confirmed by any lifeguard, as moving the stones creates different currents.”
Additionally, they believe that the fact these walkways have been funded with European funds shows that it is not a priority for the local government, as otherwise, it would be included in specific allocations from the municipal coffers. They also think it would be sufficient for some workers to remove the stones in the area where the wooden walkway will be placed without needing to use a digger “at night, which has indeed moved rocks far beyond the walkway space. And if it’s for accessibility, it is announced on the website, everyone finds out and no one says a word, but it’s not true and that’s why they don’t publish it.”
In turn, and regarding the accessibility argument, they question the number of parking spaces for people with reduced mobility, “as half the parking area has been closed for months and a slightly obese person cannot fit in the bathroom.”
