Unlocking the Largest Land Parcel in the Canary Islands by Arona

This is a key prioritization for the current local administration in Arona, which comprises the PP, Más por Arona, and CC. It aims to definitively unlock an extensive developable area that has been stalled due to bureaucratic hurdles for over 30 years, presenting an appealing opportunity for potential investors.

The initiation of the process to enable construction on more than 70 private plots earmarked for tourism, residential, commercial, and sports developments, commenced on Friday. The Urban Planning Department, led by Luis García (Más por Arona), convened an extraordinary meeting on the 31st at the Information Commission to present the urban planning agreement for debate and opinion between the Arona City Council and the Compensation Board of the Partial Plan of El Mojón, representing the landowners.

This marks the initial stage of the three-step process required for final approval, with the subsequent steps being the presentation of the agreement to the Board of Spokespersons, comprising representatives of the political groups within the City Council, and the subsequent approval of the agreement by the full council.

Upon successful completion of these phases, the Arona City Council will be able to take possession of the already established framework of the urbanization, complete with essential infrastructure and systems such as roads, electrical installations, sanitation networks, pump stations, street furniture, lighting, and more.

This marks the process through which a council assumes responsibility for maintaining a developed urban space. Subsequently, the Arona Urban Planning department will be able to initiate the processing of building permits for the various private plots, as well as for public plots—inclusive of cultural, sports, and social facilities managed by the City Council—as urban land.

The local government in Arona, headed by Fátima Lemes (PP), will succeed in bringing an end to the long-standing paralysis affecting the most strategic area of the Archipelago over the course of three decades, potentially creating a significant turning point for the municipality.

This is reflected in the resolution convening the Urban Planning Information Commission, Territorial Planning, and Historical Heritage. The release and activation of this extensive area “holds substantial public interest” as it will enable the Arona City Council to “significantly enhance the quality of life and the services provided to its residents.”

The El Mojón Partial Plan was initially approved through a resolution by the Urban Planning and Environment Commission of the Canary Islands (Cumac) on October 1, 1996. Subsequently, the Mayor’s Office of Arona granted final approval to the urbanization project for this space on June 29, 1998. The compensation project secured approval from the Municipal Government Commission on March 16, 2001.

In January 2015, the City Council and the Compensation Board entered into an urban planning agreement based on the General Planning Plan (PGO) of Arona. However, the urban planning was annulled five months later following a ruling by the Supreme Court. On August 17, 2020, the then-mayor, socialist José Julián Mena, issued a resolution rejecting the acceptance of the urbanization works of the El Mojón Partial Plan. This decision was subsequently contested by the Compensation Board in court.

Miguel Villarroya, general director of Spring Hotels, takes over as President of the Compensation Board in 2021 and the subsequent change in the Arona Government –with the arrival of the PP-Más pact for Arona-CC after the May 2023 elections– has completely altered the situation.

Villarroya retracted the complaint and chose to engage in discussions with municipal officials who seek to convert urban planning from a source of conflict into a solution for residents and the productive community.

The consensus in Arona is that the economic prosperity is centered around El Mojón. However, the community fails to comprehend why, even with this understanding, it has remained stalled for over 30 years since the commencement of the entire process in the late 80s. This can only be attributed to the inept management that has defined urban development in Arona in recent decades, which has also been marred by corruption investigations and political conflicts.

To put an end to this ongoing crisis, the new government team in Arona and the Urban Planning department, led by Luis Garcia, has initiated a new beginning. There are numerous challenges that have accumulated, but one of the top priorities is the implementation of the El Mojón Partial Plan.

The approach chosen by councilor Luis García is to separate the urbanization of the large parks, which are already prepared for opening and included in the Partial Plan, but subject to the resolution of consultations with the Government of the Canary Islands regarding their potential environmental assessment process. This specific consultation for the park will be dealt with independently from the rest of the area, preventing any delay in the imminent urbanization and release of land.

El Mojón has much more to offer than just plots that will soon be available in the market. It also includes public amenities that will complement the urban layout of Los Cristianos, the primary tourist hub in the fourth most populous municipality in the Canary Islands – with over 100,000 residents – and will extend it beyond the highway.

For instance, it features two extensive parks –the largest in a Canarian tourist city–, an Olympic stadium, and an auditorium. There are plans for 300,000 square meters of buildable space designated for housing alone.