The president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo (Coalición Canaria), has analyzed this Thursday with the mayor of Yaiza, Óscar Noda (Unidos por Yaiza), the progress of different strategic projects of the municipality and institutional coordination in view of the demographic growth in the south of Lanzarote.
In a press release issued by the Canarian Executive, Fernando Clavijo has framed the reality of Yaiza in the commitment of the Government of the Canary Islands to place the demographic challenge and territorial cohesion at the center of public action.
The Canarian president has defended the need to continue promoting "useful policies, close to the territory and the reality of the people", and has stressed that growth does not behave the same in all islands nor in all municipalities, so public responses must adapt to the singularities of each territory. In that sense, he pointed out that Yaiza clearly represents the importance of planning in advance, coordinating administrations and reinforcing public services where demographic pressure is greater.
Clavijo has defended that the autonomous Executive has placed the demographic challenge and territorial cohesion among its priorities for this legislature, with the first Strategy for Demographic Challenge and Territorial Cohesion of the Canary Islands and an action plan aimed at aligning public planning with the reality of each island and each municipality.
For his part, the mayor of Yaiza, Óscar Noda, pointed out among other commitments of the Canarian Government, "the tender for the expansion of the Playa Blanca wastewater treatment plant before the end of the year with a multi-year investment of 11 million euros and the modernization of the Marcastell pumping station, in addition to the use of treated water. Likewise, he thanked the president "for his willingness not only to listen, but to take concrete actions to solve problems in health, education, housing and roads".
Visit to the Port of Playa Blanca
After the working meeting, the president and the mayor visited the port of Playa Blanca, the most important in Lanzarote, with more than 1.1 million passengers per year, where they were able to verify the progress of the actions promoted by Puertos Canarios, dependent on the autonomous Executive, to reinforce its operability, accessibility and integration with the urban environment. Among the improvements already executed are the reorganization of accessibility, the signaling of lanes and parking lots, the opening of the promenade behind the breakwater and the remodeling of the terminal and its surroundings. These actions are part of the smart eco-ports model promoted by the Government of Canarias and are aimed at preparing the infrastructure for new operations, among them the arrival in November of its first large cruise ship, as well as the attention to boutique cruises, luxury yachts and superyachts, thus reinforcing the strategic role of Playa Blanca within the Canarian port system.
Pending the expansion of the Playa Blanca Health Center
The day continued at the Centro de Salud de Playa Blanca, where the Servicio Canario de la Salud plans to carry out expansion works -once the Ayuntamiento de Yaiza rectifies the documentation for the free transfer of the plot annexed to the building housing these health facilities- with the aim of adapting the service portfolio to the increase in healthcare demand, both from the resident and visiting population. The president recalled the commitment of the autonomous Executive to strengthening the public health network in those municipalities that register greater demographic and healthcare pressure, and highlighted that this action will improve the center's response capacity and align it with the evolution of the municipality.
Currently, the clinic serves an assigned population of 16,834 individual health cards and maintains a high level of healthcare activity throughout the year, which reinforces the need to continue advancing in its expansion and improvement. This action is framed within the planning of the Government of the Canary Islands to adapt Primary Care to the reality of expanding municipalities like Yaiza.
The visit concluded at the CEO Montaña Roja and the CEIP Playa Blanca, two centers that directly reflect the demographic evolution of the municipality and the need to continue reinforcing educational infrastructures in Playa Blanca. In the case of CEO Montaña Roja, the Government of Canarias contemplates an expansion valued at more than 4.5 million euros, included in the Strategic Plan for Educational Infrastructures of Canarias 2024-2035, to create new spaces, specific and split classrooms, as well as improve essential services such as the dining hall, the kitchen, and the outdoor areas.
Adapt the CEIP Playa Blanca to the increase in school demand
At CEIP Playa Blanca, for its part, the execution and reception of the shade carried out through agreement has already finished, while actions aimed at adapting the center to the increase in school demand continue. Among them, the annexation of the municipal infant school stands out, which will allow the school itself to manage the complete first cycle of Early Childhood Education and thus reinforce the public educational offer in one of the areas with the greatest population dynamism of the archipelago.
The institutional visit has allowed for on-site follow-up on several priority actions for Yaiza and to confirm the need to maintain a coordinated response between administrations to accompany the growth of the municipality with more and better public services. In that context, Fernando Clavijo has insisted that government action must be based on “planning, institutional cooperation and commitment to the real needs of each territory”.