The Cabildo de Tenerife has proposed changes to the Canary Islands Parliament aimed at speeding up the construction of public housing. The initiative seeks to amend the Land and Natural Spaces Law to allow public housing to be declared of insular or autonomous interest, easing construction on non-urbanisable land and speeding up the licensing process.
During a recent debate, the Partido Popular called for modifications to include official protected housing (VPO) among projects eligible for this status. This matter will now be reviewed by the Canary Islands Parliament, which is already engaged in revising the law.
Currently, the law allows insular or autonomous interest projects to focus on urgent needs involving strategic activities, but it does not specifically mention housing. The proposed changes aim to address this gap, facilitating quicker construction.
Projects with insular or autonomous status can be executed on any type of land, regardless of zoning regulations. However, in the case of protected agricultural land, exceptions are made only for public initiatives, potentially applicable to VPO construction.
The Cabildo’s proposal calls for a clear legal inclusion of VPO in definitions of general systems and local facilities, so they can be subject to projects of insular or autonomous interest. The proposal is set to be considered by the Parliament of the Canary Islands this Thursday, coinciding with ongoing modifications to the Land and Natural Spaces Law. The changes were initiated by a decree aimed at allowing temporary use of vacant land for economic activities and enabling legal building modifications, particularly for renewable energy and addressing housing emergencies.
