The parliamentarian for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Marcos Bergaz (PSOE), intervened this Tuesday in the plenary session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands to express his concern about the increase in urban planning illegality in the Archipelago and its effects on equality, territory, and the ability to restore legality.
During his speech, he warned of the "double inequality" generated by illegal constructions: between those who comply with the regulations and those who do not, and among the offenders themselves depending on their resources to face legal proceedings.
"Of the many negative consequences generated by urban indiscipline, the most serious is the double inequality it produces," he stated.
The parliamentarian exemplified this situation with the case of Costa Teguise, in Lanzarote. "We know it well on my island, where in a town with more than 9,000 residents and about 12,000 tourist beds, the presence of several urban skeletons has been suffered for two decades, which mar this area, represent a grievance compared to the entrepreneurs and citizens who complied with the rules, and furthermore, reduce the destination's competitiveness," he affirmed.
Bergaz also recalled that one of these urban skeletons, the one corresponding to plot 216 of Costa Teguise, originates from an action declared illegal by the courts in 2010, as the construction of a hotel establishment was planned on a plot intended for non-hotel use. In his opinion, the fact that, more than twenty years later, this structure continues to be part of the urban landscape demonstrates the existing difficulties in restoring urban legality once certain actions have been consummated.
He also highlighted the impact of infractions on rural land, which he defined as a strategic resource due to its environmental and landscape value.
According to data from the Canary Agency for the Protection of the Natural Environment, in 2025, 1,419 files were opened regarding urban indiscipline on rural land, compared to 1,394 in 2024, figures that place them at similar levels to those of two decades ago.
The socialist deputy asked the Minister of Territorial Policy, Manuel Miranda (CC), about the measures planned to address this situation.
In his response, the minister acknowledged the concern in territories such as Lanzarote and the Canary Islands as a whole, citing the case of the skeleton on plot 216 as an example, which he referred to as a "monstrosity."
Miranda has explained that the Government is working on three lines of action: the modification of the Land Law, which will extend the period for initiating proceedings from four to eight years and toughen the sanctioning regime; the reinforcement of the Canary Agency for the Protection of the Natural Environment, with more inspection, coordination, and technological means; and support for local councils through a virtual office for demographic challenge to support the processing of proceedings.
In his reply, Bergez has asked to accelerate this legal reform, warning that the legislature is entering its final stretch and that the announced measures may not arrive in time if the processing of the modification of a law that was already controversial in 2017, when it was approved, is not streamlined.
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