La Laguna aims to enhance the municipal land bank. To achieve this, the primary sector and rural development department of the City Council will strengthen its technical team by engaging a consultancy for the management and revitalisation of the land bank. Specifically, the municipal budget for 2025 allocates 55,000 euros for the recruitment of two graduates with expertise in the agricultural and legal sectors, through a collaboration with the Public Company Gesplan, as indicated by information from the department.
It is worth noting that in October 2021, the municipality initiated a register of unused land to prevent agricultural lands from falling into neglect. This service, free of charge, aims to utilise these lands for the cultivation of primary resources. The councillor for the primary sector, Cristina Ledesma, mentioned that, “since the Land Bank’s inception in the municipality, we have observed that the demand for land exceeds the available supply. Therefore, we want to enhance this service so that applicants, with the appropriate guidance, have a better chance of locating land for their agricultural ventures.” Currently, there are 17 requests and seven active offers, according to departmental data. “Our goal is to invigorate the land bank initiative so that many of the abandoned lands can be rehabilitated for the sector and worked by interested farmers. We aim to provide them with significant support from the City Council in navigating the often complex administrative processes,” the councillor stated.
Advice
In addition to managing and energising the Land Bank, the new service will provide the sector with guidance on land management (uses, activities, licences, etc.), urban feasibility of various agricultural and livestock projects according to the intended location, as well as exploring alternatives – for which the land bank is crucial – and proportionality assessments (to determine if the necessary facilities or constructions for project development meet the actual needs of agricultural and/or livestock operations). Support will also be extended in the regularisation process for those agricultural and livestock farms that require assistance.
