Coalición Canaria Lanzarote censures "the lack of response from the former president and minister of Territorial Policy, María Dolores Corujo, to a judicial request made in 2023 to determine if the land in Playa Quemada was developable or rustic, a decisive issue from a legal, territorial, and economic point of view".In this regard, the spokesperson for the Nationalist Group in the Cabildo, Samuel Martín, states that "the review of the file confirms that the first institution, under the presidency of María Dolores Corujo and with her in charge of the Territorial Policy Area, did not send the requested certification on land classification to the court, despite it being an essential matter from a legal, territorial, and economic point of view".
According to CC, "the judicial request, made in January 2023, asked the island council to clarify the urbanistic nature of the land linked to the old Costa Playa Quemada Partial Plan, a planning approval from the nineties that projected a large tourist-residential development, with a golf course, tourist beds and residential use, which was never executed. The absence of development within the legal deadlines caused the loss of urbanistic rights and the reclassification of the area as rustic land, a criterion that has subsequently been supported by judicial rulings".
Martín explains that, according to the territorial legislation of the Canary Islands, developable land that is not developed within the deadline loses that condition. “In 2023 there were sufficient legal elements, based on regulations and previous resolutions, to certify the situation of the land. Not doing so left a key issue unresolved and prolonged the uncertainty over an area that has been in legal and territorial conflict for decades,” he points out.
The nationalist spokesperson recalls that the classification of land has direct consequences on the economic value of the area and that the ongoing judicial process, including the auction of properties linked to the old partial plan, has reactivated the debate on the legal nature of these lands. Added to this context is that the General Urban Planning Plan of Yaiza of 2014 already declassified these lands, establishing their condition as rural land, a criterion that was subsequently ratified by the courts. The first ruling by the Supreme Court confirming the nullity of the planning linked to this area was issued in 2020, reinforcing the legal interpretation of the non-developable nature of the landIn this framework, the general secretary of Coalición Canaria in Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Pedro San Ginés, underlines that "the matter was initially uncovered by the nationalist group in the Yaiza City Council. And it is that, as was communicated at the time, CC Yaiza requested the appearance of the mayor, Óscar Noda, after learning of the possible activation of the old Partial Plan of Playa Quemada, which could allow the creation of up to 300 tourist beds in the area. At that time, the lack of public information was denounced and the scenario of legal uncertainty derived from the absence of updated territorial planning in the municipality was warned of".The local secretary and nationalistic municipal spokesperson, Emilio Machín, pointed out that "the nullity of urban planning and the lack of adaptation to a new legal framework have generated a territorial vacuum that affects both residents and any initiative linked to land development. Likewise, CC Yaiza warned of the collapse of the municipal Technical Office due to lack of resources, a situation that has contributed to paralyzing urban management and prolonging uncertainty about areas such as Playa Quemada".In the same vein, Samuel Martín has highlighted that "clear certification in 2023 would have provided legal certainty and avoided current doubts". "Territorial planning requires technical rigor, compliance with regulations, and institutional responsibility. According to current regulations, the land must be considered rural. The previous socialist government had the opportunity to legally clarify this matter and did not do so," he states.Finally, from Coalición Canaria, its insular secretary, Pedro San Ginés, further underlines the work that the Cabildo de Lanzarote is currently developing in matters of land management, planning, and legal certainty, in contrast to the inaction of the previous government group. "The current insular Executive **works on a technical basis in planning and territorial management,** while the PSOE once again shows its lack of action on a key issue for the territory and the legal certainty of the island," he asserts.
San Ginés laments this new display of Dolores Corujo's hypocrisy and the false narrative of her defense of the territory, which is added to the line of her Secretary of Organization, José Juan Cruz, with the new hotels and tourist licenses that he intends to grant in Tías, a municipality of which he is mayor, under the protection of the Puerto del Carmen Modernization Plan.
The nationalists wonder "what did the PSOE intend to hide by proposing now that the Cabildo buy that land, and for what purpose".