The government group of the Cabildo of Lanzarote has stated that the house on Fajardo Street, which the institution acquired under the mandate of Pedro San Ginés to turn it into an Archaeological Museum, suffers from "serious pathologies that could lead to the collapse of the building". "It presents a growing risk of collapse in some areas," insists the Cabildo, which states that its situation means that the property is "not only not suitable for a museum, but neither is it for its legal use: residential".
In this regard, as the president of the Cabildo already did in the plenary session last Friday, when a motion was rejected in which CC requested that the Government of the Canary Islands be asked to include an item in the General Budgets of 2020 to co-finance said museum, the government group insists that "Casa Fajardo is not an archaeological museum".
"The General Plan of Arrecife contemplates this building only for residential use. And this has been stated by the technicians of the City Council, who have even requested in previous communications with the Cabildo that the term 'Archaeology Museum' be removed from the documentation submitted," the institution assures.
In addition, it is pointed out that the Canary Islands Cultural Heritage Law establishes "that the creation of museums of insular scope corresponds to the regional administration." "And this step has not been taken, neither during this legislature, nor in the past," adds the Cabildo.
A total of 3,350,000 euros of cost overrun
In a statement, the government group highlights that the house, which was acquired in 2013 for 1,650,000 euros "that have been completely paid during this year", was done "without even requesting technical reports about the structure of the residence".
"Once the acquisition was made, it was immediately detected that the house was not suitable for its use, as it was affected by structural problems, especially in its foundations, which suffers from serious pathologies that could lead to the collapse of the building," the institution adds, from where it is pointed out that "until now some attempts have been made to partially rehabilitate the residence, which have involved an expense of more than three million euros, without solving these structural pathologies".
On the other hand, the Cabildo affirms that "the high level of protection of the building greatly hinders the restoration and conservation projects, as these need an intervention that basically consists of replacing the foundations of the house, as well as the concrete floors of the front and rear areas of the residence".
"This situation means that this property is not only not suitable for a museum, but neither is it for its legal use: residential. In fact, it presents a growing risk of collapse in some areas," he assures.
A project "far from being a reality"
"We have invested more than five million euros and we still don't know in what or for what," the president of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo, reproached her predecessor in the plenary session last Friday, where she accused Pedro San Ginés of launching "into a reckless purchase without assessing the real possibilities of transforming the property in which five million euros have already been spent".
In addition, Corujo recalled that the level of protection of the house is such that "the Cabildo is experiencing real difficulties in carrying out the conservation works essential for the house not to collapse directly" and that, therefore, it is far from being the museum announced six years ago.
"I don't even want to think about the difficulties we are going to face when we have to authorize the project that allows us to transform that house into an Archaeological Museum," added Dolores Corujo, who demanded "apologies" from her predecessor and that he stop hiding behind Cabildo technicians for the adoption of a "political decision that has meant the biggest cost overrun in the history of the Cabildo of Lanzarote".
