The Urban Planning Department of La Laguna has initiated the preliminary participatory process aimed at drafting a significant alteration of the General Development Plan (PGO) to facilitate the expansion and enhancement of public open spaces in Valle de Guerra, as reported by the council yesterday. This urban planning endeavour marks the first phase in engaging citizens to determine where the urban park requested by the residents of the Northeast will be established, a proposal that received unanimous approval from the local plenary session last July.
In addition, this will enable the outline of the general features of the public open space to be defined, considering that the aim of this urban planning tool is not the specific layout of the area, nor its execution. Consequently, once this essential modification of the PGO (including its environmental assessment) is conclusively approved, the relevant municipal departments will be able to commission the design of the project.
“While we are currently in the final stages of the tender for the new PGO, we must recognise that this is a multi-year process that could delay the provision of land for the park. Following residents’ requests, the plenary decided to commence this amendment of the current PGO, a procedure through which we seek maximum participation, ensuring that every viewpoint is included and every voice is acknowledged, whether from groups or individual citizens,” stated the Councillor for Territorial Planning, Adolfo Cordobés.
Through this initiative, La Laguna aims to address the inadequate availability of urban open spaces concerning the projected population in Valle de Guerra, a need identified in the PGO. Furthermore, as per the motion endorsed by the Plenary, this initiative will assist in “creating a central area that acts as a connecting element for the existing public infrastructure, such as the Ayatimas public school, the IES of Valle de Guerra, the Deputy Mayor’s Office, the square of the Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, and the Valle de Guerra pavilion”.
To this end, the plenary unanimously approved in July the definition of the specified area at the centre of Valle de Guerra as subject to this initiative, taking advantage of the presence of two substantial internal land pockets, situated one on each side of the axis delineated by El Calvario street. These two available sub-areas are positioned to the east of the road, which is presently designated as rustic land, and to the west, corresponding to developable land.
The plenary session also instructed the Urban Planning Department to, among other actions, explore “the most effective urban and environmental strategies, as well as the most economically and technically feasible options, for acquiring and executing an open space, without compromising the future model of either the centre or the municipality.”
To attain a result that aligns as closely as possible with the genuine needs of the population within legal parameters, the drafting team invites community collaboration in this initial participatory process, which will remain open until September 30.
To ensure accessibility, an online form has been established, available at the link https://pagos.urbanismolalaguna.es/transparencia/participacion/proceso/14, where further details regarding this amendment of the PGO can also be reviewed.