The lack of public housing, the deficit in educational infrastructures, improvements in social care, and progress in urban planning and sanitation are the aspects that the municipal government (PSOE-PP) focused on in their assessment of the first year in office. In particular, Jennifer Miranda, the mayor, referred to the 320 affordable homes through various channels and management formulas.
Miranda argued that it has been a “intense” year of work focused on fundamental issues to address problems that have remained unresolved in the last seven years and lay the foundations of “a new Granadilla, more modern and sustainable, to improve the living conditions of all the people of Granadilla”.
Regarding housing, Miranda recalled that they transferred 3,000 square meters to the Canarian Housing Institute (ICAVI), which is already tendering 11 public housing units, to which 15 more will be added through municipal funds, framed in the 2024 Housing Activate Plan, a program by the Tenerife Island Council. She also referred to the unblocking of Los Hinojeros, which will result in the release of 294 affordable housing units to the market. All of these together make up the 320 homes. She added the compilation of the inventory of semi-built houses to identify their owners and request their completion, as provided by the law, or, failing that, initiate expropriation to finish them and put them up for sale by the City Council itself.
New Educational Centre
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In terms of educational infrastructure, the mayor of Granadilla pointed out the over 13 million euros for new centres included in the emergency plan for educational infrastructures by the Ministry of Education, in order to “alleviate the serious situation of overcrowding and saturation in the education system of our municipality.” Among the planned works, she mentioned the new CEO in San Isidro and the first Centre for Vocational Training in the history of Granadilla de Abona, as well as the expansions of the IES El Médano, Magallanes, Los Cardones, and the CEIP Abona and Los Abrigos; the latter will be operational in September. She also mentioned another achievement in the Education area, which is the streamlining of scholarship payments, specifically shortening their payment by five months compared to previous years.
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Unlocking Urban Development
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In Urban Development, councilor Óscar Delgado argued the “collapse” that has occurred in this area and which has made the municipality headline news in recent years, and insisted that work has been underway since June 17th of last year to regain the lost trust of investors and citizens through the organization of the department and the reassignment and coordination of responsibilities.
As data, he pointed out that the previous government resolved four licenses during 2022, and in this first year of management, 25 have been resolved. He added that the work certifications and alignment and gradient files pending since 2020 have been brought up to date, and those submitted in recent months are being resolved, in addition to working on drafting the building ordinance and approving the ordinance regulating the fee in rustic land, “by which Granadilla de Abona is a pioneer and which will allow 7% of the million-euro investments of energy companies to remain in the municipality, as opposed to the tens of millions lost in the last three years”.
From a social perspective, the mayor of Granadilla emphasized the attention to individuals and the associative and business fabric, with 350 residents attended by the City Council, which held twenty meetings. In the Community Welfare area, the waiting time for an appointment with a social worker has been reduced to one week, compared to the 93 days of the previous municipal government, and emergency assistance is provided immediately.
In this regard, she highlights the ordinance for Social Services approved in the last plenary session, which expands benefits, amounts, and citizen protection. In terms of security and transportation, there are 11 additional police officers, and the San Isidro office has been reopened after years of closure, with efforts underway to establish the canine unit of the Local Police. Additionally, the ambulance base of the Canarian Emergency Service will soon be available in the urban centre of Granadilla.
The municipality added eight taxi licenses in the first year of the term, and another four are in the concession process. In this regard, Jennifer Miranda reiterated their opposition to the County Council’s intentions to declare the Southern airport as a sensitive area. An issue in which “the island Corporation continues to turn a deaf ear to the feelings of all the people of Granadilla”.
Eliminating Waste Discharge
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“One of the serious issues at the beginning of the term was waste discharge. Today, we can affirm that Granadilla de Abona is closer than ever to becoming a zero waste municipality.” These words from the mayor were supported by Marcos Antonio Rodríguez, who pointed out that in this first year the foundations have been laid for what this term will be, and argued that a cooperation agreement has been signed with the Insular Water Board of Tenerife (Ciatf) for the management of waste treatment and regeneration infrastructures, which will enable the vast majority of wastewater to be treated.
The second deputy mayor and councillor for Public Services, Works and Ecological Transition added that every day “we are closer to zero discharge” and that, following the declaration of a water emergency in Tenerife, Granadilla de Abona took the lead by facilitating an urgent connection from the Los Letrados treatment plant, which will inject a maximum flow of regenerated water for agricultural use of 3,500 cubic meters per day.
“Today, we can affirm that Granadilla de Abona is closer than ever to becoming a zero waste municipality.”
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Regarding investments and projects, the local government highlighted the La Jurada dog park and the security alarm system improvements in schools; they are preparing the execution projects for the improvement of infrastructure in Casablanca and the Sewage Pumping Stations (EBAR) in this area and Los Balos. They have also awarded four new playgrounds and the public lighting improvement works in various locations in the municipality; currently in the execution phase are the demolition and construction of stands and canteen at the El Médano football field and the project to change the turf at the Charco del Pino field, as well as its comprehensive improvement.
Rodríguez listed that the specifications for tendering the maintenance of public buildings are under review, and the photovoltaic installations at the San Isidro Farmer’s Market are in the execution phase, along with the improvement of garden areas in Plaza Galicia (El Médano). In terms of works initiated in the first 100 days of the term, they include resurfacing in El Médano, replacement of the turf at the Granadilla field, improvement of the power supply at the cemetery, and the changing rooms at the Los Abrigos football field.
The councillor for Public Services highlighted in the investment plan for 2024 the improvement of the El Médano supply network, currently in the execution phase; the music school in Granadilla, for which the works tender is being prepared, a process in which the Los Marineros square in Los Abrigos is also involved; the drafting of projects for the modular parking facilities in El Médano on Tenerife Street and Magallanes Avenue is in the award phase; the Magallanes Expedition Interpretation Centre at Montaña Roja; the Sotavento urban park; the cycle and pedestrian lane in El Médano; and the Las Vegas stargazing project.
The projects for the Cultural Centre in El Médano, the wakes facility in San Isidro, the Urban Park of Barranco de Cho Joaquina and its future square in San Isidro, as well as the pedestrian walkway to Santa Cruz Avenue in San Isidro and the Garygonza building in the urban area of Granadilla are in the drafting phase of technical and administrative specifications for the project tender.
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The municipal government stressed that “Granadilla de Abona is changing and is facing the challenges posed by the present and future of the fourth most populous municipality in Tenerife with determination and courage. A diverse and plural municipality, moving forward together and with a government that listens and works every day to ensure that each and every resident feels proud to live and belong to Granadilla de Abona”.
