Canary Islands will first buy unfinished houses to meet the demand for public housing

The list of applicants for social housing in the Canary Islands increased by 23.5% in the last legislature

September 26 2023 (13:11 WEST)
Updated in September 26 2023 (14:10 WEST)
Houses in Playa Blanca. Photo: José Luis Carrasco.
Houses in Playa Blanca. Photo: José Luis Carrasco.

The Government of the Canary Islands will prioritize the purchase of unfinished housing, "numerous after the 2008 crisis", and will promote public-private collaboration to respond to the high demand for housing in the Canary Islands.

This was stated this Tuesday by the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Mobility of the Regional Executive, Pablo Rodríguez, in the plenary session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands in response to a question asked by the deputy of the Canarian Coalition, Vidina Espino.

"We are going to be more ambitious with empty homes and promote public-private collaboration to respond to demand. We are late in housing policy, but we are not going to throw in the towel," said Rodríguez, who recalled that the Canary Islands Housing Plan 2020-2025 only has two years left to run.

In his opinion, it is "very difficult" to comply with the figures proposed by the previous Government (PSOE, NC, Podemos and ASG) of reaching the construction of 6,000 social protection homes, although he has pledged to evaluate the Plan "and prioritize its execution".

"It is essential to execute the maximum number of homes in all modalities and multiply the instruments. The Canary Islands Housing Institute must continue to build public housing," Rodríguez concluded.

During her speech, Vidina Espino pointed out that one of the main concerns of the Canarians is housing and that if before the pandemic access was "difficult", this has been aggravated by the rise in interest rates and the pressure exerted on prices by vacation rentals, especially in tourist areas.

Espino has accused the previous Government of failing to fulfill its promises in housing matters and of "delivering the homes in absolute secrecy and secrecy" while the list of applicants increased in the last legislature from 17,000 to 21,000 people

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