The Ministry of the Presidency, Public Administrations, Justice and Security approved yesterday the project for the refurbishment of the premises that will house the new Court of First Instance and Instruction number 5 in Granadilla de Abona. The premises have a total area of 1.112 square meters and the budget for the works amounts to 1,283,167 euros.
The project, processed by the General Directorate of Relations with the Administration of Justice, includes a layout of spaces distinguishing two areas. One of the areas will be dedicated to public service and staff space, with access from Avenida Santa Cruz, including an information area, access control, counter, separate restrooms for both sexes, restroom for people with reduced mobility, for staff, nursing room, compact archive and rack, in addition to the office area with workstations.
Furthermore, in the rear area, there are two courtrooms, eight offices, and a pantry. Adjacent to this area and connected by an adapted ramp is the detention area, the cell, and the technical room, with access from Paisaje Lunar street.
To ensure the proper functioning of the judicial office, new low-voltage electrical installations, lighting through LED panels, telecommunications, a new air conditioning system, and fire protection measures will be implemented.
The Granadilla de Abona judicial district – which also encompasses the municipalities of San Miguel de Abona, Arico, and Vilaflor de Chasna – is one of the worst-equipped in the country to handle workloads efficiently.
The General Directorate of Relations with the Administration of Justice proposed the comprehensive reform of the current building. In 2021, a project was drawn up for this purpose, with an estimated cost of 612,000 euros.
At the request of the then Socialist spokesperson (now Mayor), Jennifer Miranda, the municipal council rejected, unanimously on December 3, 2020, the abolition of the Granadilla de Abona Judicial District by integrating it into the Arona Judicial District, a measure proposed by the Government Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of Canarias (TSJC). It also decided to request from the Canary Islands Government the expansion of the workforce in the four courts comprising this territorial unit of Justice and the transfer, by the City Council, of land to build a new Courthouse in the municipality.
The location of this construction sparked an unresolved controversy. While the Government of the Canary Islands from the Pact of the Flowers advocated for San Isidro as the suitable location, the municipal government led by José Domingo Regalado (CC) offered municipal land next to the existing courts in the urban area.
