The Directorate General of Coasts and the Sea (DGCyM) has authorised the Town Council of El Rosario for the opening and public use of the new bathing area in Tabaiba. The service commencement will take place once the safety-related work in the area is completed and the appropriate signage is installed, as informed by the municipal government.
The Government of the Canary Islands received the work on 27 May. The Rosario Town Council requested authorisation for the use or occupation of the maritime-terrestrial public domain affected by this project on 2 June, and the Directorate General of Coasts and the Sea granted it on 22 July.
The works for the adaptation to climate change of the coastal front of Tabaiba – the formal designation of this action – had a budget of €2,108,096, financed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight Against Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the regional government. This project began at the end of 2021, with the execution phase commencing in 2023. The Town Council of El Rosario commissioned and funded the adaptation of the space where the work materialised.
The works have involved the improvement of accessibility to the sea for the public, the adaptation and integration of the former dirt platform as a solarium, gardens, and relaxation area, as well as the correction of impacts on the local beach, among other improvements.
In the creation of this new bathing area in Tabaiba, noble and durable materials have been used, under the principle of environmental integration. Additionally, a self-cleaning toilet has been installed, and vegetation native to the marine environment has been planted to enhance shade availability in various points along the coastal front.
The municipal government of El Rosario asserts that this action also contributes to the improvement of the sanitation and wastewater treatment system for the nearby urban area, ensuring there will be no uncontrolled and improper discharges into the sea.
“This space will soon be opened to the public, once the signage is installed and certain actions are taken to ensure safety in the area,” notes the governing team led by Escolástico Gil. This project makes use of a deteriorated space that, as recalled, has so far consisted of an unutilised dirt platform for the public.
Gil Hernández finds it “striking” that “some who have done absolutely nothing during this time” are now so eager to know the opening date.
More than 20 years
Escolástico Gil has reminded us that the new bathing area in Tabaiba is a reality “after more than twenty years of waiting; four years of work with two regional governments, during which the former vicepresident, Román Rodríguez (NC), and the former Minister of Ecological Transition, José Antonio Valbuena (PSOE), were the ones who gave the final push to initiate this action, and about eight months for the regional government to receive the work.”
The project gives a new image to the area: access to the sea from the breakwater of the platform located in front of the promenade (incorporated stairs in the breakwater slope and bathing platform); sunbathing areas and relaxation spaces (wooden platforms and shaded areas); improvement of accessibility and integration of the existing promenade, with ramps and handrails; provision of appropriate services and furniture in the coastal area (showers, benches, self-cleaning toilet, informative panels, bins, and lighting), and vegetation native to the marine environment that provide shade in certain areas.
Canarian Coalition (CC) will ask the municipal government this Thursday at the ordinary plenary about the date of opening of the space.
