The rise of vacation homes in a particularly sensitive area such as the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park has led the Government of the Canary Islands to establish a specific regime to manage this space. In data, La Graciosa alone has 89 vacation homes per 100 inhabitants, according to a study prepared by the CajaCanarias-Ashotel Tourism Chair.
The Canarian Executive presented this Wednesday the draft Law on Sustainable Planning of the Tourist Use of Homes to regulate the rise of vacation homes in the Archipelago. Among its 58 pages, the Executive has established a transitional provision for the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park, which includes La Graciosa, Alegranza, Montaña Clara, the two islets of the East and West and Caleta de Famara, and gives the Cabildo 18 months to address the situation.
The document includes the "very unique" situation of the Natural Park and reveals that it must be resolved "specifically" within a limited period. The Government urges the Cabildo of Lanzarote to resolve the planning of this space, following the mandate of Law 2/2013, and warns that its delay could lead to "significant environmental and socioeconomic effects" and "difficult to manage" situations.
The regional government has added that the transitional provision cannot imply "expectations of indiscriminate regularization" of the current offer and requires the Cabildo to prioritize "environmental values and sustainability requirements."
If within 18 months from the approval of the Vacation Home Law, the Cabildo of Lanzarote has not carried out the Natural Resources Management Plan of the Chinijo Archipelago, article 4 of this bill will apply.
In this way, if the planning is not approved, 90% of the residential building must be reserved for use as housing, discarding vacation homes, nor can tourist accommodation be established on land classified for residential use or in existing homes in protected natural spaces or in spaces integrated into the Natura 2000 Network, among others.