The island political formation, Lanzarote En Pie (LEP), has presented a series of proposals to contribute to the future law on sustainable planning of the tourist use of homes in the Canary Islands, within the public consultation carried out by the Government of the Canary Islands that ended this Sunday, November 26.
The spokesperson for LEP, Leandro Delgado, has indicated that the initiative "stems from the need to address in an equitable and sustainable manner the planning of homes that are used for tourism in the Canary Islands, and particularly in Lanzarote, where the uncontrolled proliferation of this type of tourist offer is one of the factors that has an impact on access and the rise in prices of long-term rentals."
In this sense, Delgado maintains that "the lack of planning and control over this economic activity is causing situations of social significance that negatively affect the entire island society, and whose consequences directly affect the neighborhood community."
From LEP they assure that "the proposals have been developed seeking a balance between the free development of commercial activity and the constitutional right of access to housing, as well as the right to rest of the neighbors or to avoid the growing gentrification of the residential areas of the city."
Proposals presented by Lanzarote en Pie
Increase the requirements for granting a vacation home license together with the prior inspection and verification of compliance with them before granting, as well as limit the number of licenses granted to companies and individuals considered large holders. Limit the granting of licenses to built properties or second homes, preventing blocks of newly built buildings from being used for the activity, or study the possibility of limiting the purchase of homes that are used for tourist use to non-residents without sufficient connection to the territory, justified and for reasons of general interest, among others.
In addition, the municipalists have launched a survey through their social networks to find out the opinion of the island's citizens on the escalation of prices and the shortage of long-term rental housing. "We believe that this direct feedback will enrich the dialogue and allow a deeper understanding of the concerns and perspectives of the community, so we will continue working on this issue until the future law materializes," they said from the organization.
Finally, Leandro Delgado wanted to point out that "this initiative demonstrates our commitment to citizen participation and the construction of social, economic and environmental sustainable policies that represent the interests of the entire population in this debate on housing in Lanzarote."