Despite the allegations presented by the Inter-Island Federation of SMEs (Felapyme), the Arrecife City Council has finally granted the license to operate the "Argana Centro" shopping center, a warehouse belonging to the Spínola Group, owned by the president of the Lanzarote Chamber of Commerce, Eduardo Spínola. This Monday, Alfredo Villalba, president of Felapyme, expressed his discomfort at not having been informed directly by the City Council itself about the rejection of these allegations. "We found out through the media," he explained.
"This adverse and inexplicable position of our City Council clearly shows the lack of consideration and respect towards the SMEs and micro-enterprises located in the Municipality," Felapyme has argued, emphasizing the "obscurantism" surrounding this implementation. According to the federation, the capital's City Council has ignored its institutional obligation to respond to the list of allegations presented in its general registry on November 13, so its members have decided to request this fulfillment again through a letter presented to the City Council last week.
The federation of small and medium-sized companies describes it as "surprising and curious" that the Governing Board of the City Council relies on the version of the technicians who at the time considered that the project of the Valterra Shopping Center was legal, despite the fact that almost a decade has passed, it has not been able to materialize after being declared illegal by the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands. Therefore, Felapyme doubts the opinion of these technicians. "We are not clear about it, because we have not been given the information that we have requested actively and passively from the City Council, alleging a series of rights that assist the drafter of the project and that is part of their own intellectual property," explained Antonio Monzón, secretary of Felapyme.
Monzón also pointed out that the federation is considering the option of "undertaking some type of action that assists us in law to gather until the last moment all the information that we have requested and that has been provided to us in a very partial, inequitable way, for our desire for transparency".
One of the reasons that Felapyme has used from the beginning to request the non-opening of the shopping center is the lack of an impact report. "We are concerned, above all, about the location of this warehouse, due to the hospital center that is next to it," explained Monzón. "According to those interested, there will be no problem, but the doubt is there because it is a very complicated environment due to a roundabout, and a convergence of adjacent streets". Reasons that the Personnel Board of the General Hospital of Lanzarote itself launched to public opinion a few weeks ago, fearing the collapse of access to the Emergency area of the health center.
This Wednesday, the Governing Board of the Arrecife City Council will meet to decide whether to finally allow the opening of this shopping center, which, for the moment, already has the license to operate.
Meanwhile, Felapyme requests the Municipal Corporation that "before initiating any action, it is informed of the response to the allegations presented". Likewise, the federation demands that alternative reports be requested to those of the Technical Office, as in the Valterra case, and that information not be hidden "under the umbrella of impediments of dubious legality". Finally, Felapyme has launched an ultimatum to the Arrecife City Council, urging "a deep reflection" on the facts in defense of compliance with the current laws that govern commercial implementations.
ACN Press
