“The Canary Islands Demarcation has not denied any permit requested by the production company Brutal Media. On the contrary, on February 10, 2021, they were granted a filming authorization in Caletón Blanco.” This is how the Coast Directorate has responded to the “controversy” that began last week, when the mayor of Teguise, Oswaldo Betancort, stated that the team filming a new Netflix series in Lanzarote was going to leave the island earlier than planned due to lack of permits.
The Ministry of Ecological Transition, on which the Coasts depend, has even sent La Voz that resolution, dated effectively a month ago. However, they clarify that previously the production company had requested other authorizations, which it later modified up to two times before they were resolved. In fact, the document indicates that the authorization responds to a “new request” submitted by the company at the end of January, which therefore invalidated those that had been registered before.
Initially, the team presented a project that involved a greater occupation of the beach and also for a longer time. Specifically, according to the Coasts, it included “an installation for three months of some structures, a kind of capsules of 20 by 12 meters and 40 by 12 meters”. In addition, they requested authorization for the “creation of gardens and some paths on the sand of the beach” as part of the set, with which they apparently intended to recreate a small town.
Changes in the filming plan
From this body they point out that this first request was presented in November and began to be processed on the 26th, requesting reports from the different competent administrations, given that it required a greater impact study. Then, with the mediation of the Cabildo and looking for alternatives to speed up the permits, it was proposed, among other things, that all the heavy equipment of the filming be placed in the parking area and not on the beach. That's where the first modification of the project came, which the Coasts affirms that it received on December 18, when the assembly intended to start in January.
“The processing of that request was initiated, again requesting reports from the Cabildo, the Government of the Canary Islands and the City Council”, they explain, emphasizing that only the Island Corporation responded, indicating that the requested authorization was “adequate for the general interest”.
Neither the regional Executive nor the Haría City Council had responded when the production company, being short on time, modified the filming plan and submitted that new request in January, which was presented in its name by the Cabildo itself. In this case, it no longer involved the placement of structures and the Coasts responded in a few days.
In fact, the response was that this last request did not even require authorization. “Given the small scale of the action and without facilities in the public maritime-terrestrial domain, in accordance with the provisions of article 51 of the Coasts Law and its General Regulations for its application, this demarcation of Coasts estimates that the requested activity can be carried out and does not require administrative authorization”, the resolution stated.
Filming in Playa Bermeja and other locations
That approval from the Coasts authorized a filming of two days in Caletón Blanco, which is finally the one that has been carried out, and another four days in Playa Bermeja, where the team has also been filming the series. In addition, they have filmed in other locations on the island, such as Playa Chica in Puerto del Carmen. What they have done is to dispense with a part of the filming that they were going to do in Caletón and move it to another location on the Peninsula.
“From the Coasts Demarcation, all the requests have been processed and at no time has there been an unfavorable resolution or proposed resolution”, they insist from this body.
For its part, the production company has never publicly questioned that permits have been denied or that they have been responded to late. Consulted by this medium, what they have indicated is that they only report the start of filming, but not its subsequent evolution, which may also be subject to changes.
The one who made the issue public was the mayor of Teguise, who this Wednesday again blamed not only the Coasts, but also the Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands, for “scaring away astronomical investments” due to the “terrible coordination between administrations”. Among these administrations, the Coasts also includes the Haría City Council, which is governed by CC and which did not send the report requested by the Demarcation.
In this regard, the Councilor for Tourism and Economic Promotion of the Cabildo, Ángel Vázquez, has denied that there has been “any problem” with the production company and believes that a false controversy has been created with the issue. In fact, he affirms that they have been told that they will return to the island to shoot the second season of the series, where they do intend to include Caletón Blanco as well, requesting the appropriate permits in time.
In addition, the councilor insists that the relationship was “very good” with the team and that the producer has been “very satisfied” with the filming on the island, which is added to others that are currently being carried out in Lanzarote.