The housing emergency in the Canary Islands is causing legislative changes and measures of all kinds to increase the availability of affordable housing.
But, is more being built? The dean of the College of Architects of Lanzarote, which has 120 professional associates, responds with data in an interview with Ekonomus.
"The permits for new free housing have increased, as of September 30, 2023 there were 256 and a year later the figure was 388," which is equivalent to a growth of 51%.
Lasso also explains that comprehensive renovations have increased sixfold: "We have gone from 7 to 42 and with regard to partial renovations, from 47 homes to 60."
How to speed up the granting of licenses?
The College of Architects of Lanzarote is waiting for the new Land Law to be approved to see how it can contribute to speeding up the procedures for building new homes.
If the new Law (which is expected to be approved in a couple of months) finally allows professional associations to help, a public-private collaboration agreement will be signed.
"Several municipalities in Lanzarote have asked the Cabildo for technical cooperation. Previously, it could be expedited with quality visas. The developer paid an amount separate from the normal visa and thus certain urban characteristics were reviewed," explains Lasso.
The objective is for the College to "prepare a quality report for which it would be necessary to agree on how far the College of Architects reports and what type of complementary report the administration should carry out, which is the one that issues the license."
However, the dean of the College of Architects considers that the most effective way to reduce waiting times is through a "greater provision of human resources in the technical offices, which have an overload of work."
Shipping container homes and rustic land
Another way to reduce waiting times is through the type of construction. For example, with modular homes, among which are those made with shipping containers. Not because they require fewer procedures, but because they are easier to make.
"They can be built in three months. In Lanzarote there are some houses that have been made with containers, but the exterior finish is white, with a plasterboard and ventilated facade system that, if you don't know how it was built, you don't know if it is a container or not," explains Lasso.
However, the regulations of the Canary Islands, unlike other autonomous communities such as Valencia, do not allow "any residential use on rustic land", even if they are not anchored.
But there are two exceptions: "Rural settlements and agricultural settlements attached to an agricultural holding."
In the first case, the construction of single-family homes is allowed, provided they comply with local regulations and respect the characteristics of the environment. In Lanzarote there are rural settlements for example in Güime, Montaña Blanca, Conil or Mácher.
In the second case, the law also allows the construction of homes for those responsible for managing an agricultural or livestock holding.
