The Parliament of the Canary Islands has approved this Wednesday a PNL so that the necessary mechanisms are established to ensure that the land where the Marqués de Herrera Barracks of Arrecife is located becomes public. The proposal came from Somos Lanzarote and has been taken to the institution through Nueva Canarias, obtaining the support of all political groups (PP, Podemos, Coalición Canaria and PSOE).
Luis Campos, deputy of Nueva Canarias, defended the proposal to recover the Arrecife Army barracks for civil use, asking the Government of the Canary Islands to establish coordination mechanisms with the Arrecife City Council and the Lanzarote Cabildo and also request the initiation of the pertinent actions with the Ministry of Defense, in order to know the possibilities of recovering the land where the barracks is located to give it a public use for the citizens of Lanzarote. "It is a historical demand of the population of Arrecife to be able to enjoy the approximately 60,000 square meters located in the Marqués de Herrera Barracks, located in a privileged area of Arrecife", Campos pointed out.
In this regard, it should be remembered that this summer the intention of the Ministry of Defense to implement a cavalry unit in Arrecife formed by 300 troops was known, which would make it difficult to advance in the proposal to give a public use to the barracks. Therefore, from Nueva Canarias they understand that it is necessary to "expedite from all possible institutions the necessary steps to achieve this historical demand, initiating contacts and establishing negotiation processes to achieve this objective."
The Somos proposal was also approved in Arrecife
From Somos Lanzarote, which also managed to have this initiative approved in the Arrecife plenary session, they have expressed their satisfaction that it has also had the support of the Canarian Parliament. "Despite the fact that when we presented it at the beginning of the year in Arrecife, the PP abstained, we are glad that they have been able to correct their position. For us, the recovery of the Barracks for civil use is a priority, so we are pleased that this demand is shared by all the political forces represented in the Parliament of the Canary Islands", said Borja Rubio.
The formation insists on how necessary it is to recover that space for civil use, given its geographical location and dimensions. Somos Lanzarote, in turn, believes that "both the plenary majority in Arrecife and the unanimity of the Parliament of the Canary Islands are two very strong institutional supports for a historical aspiration of the people of Arrecife and Lanzarote." "The support of the Arrecife City Council and the Parliament of the Canary Islands for our proposal already places the recovery of the Marqués de Herrera Barracks in Arrecife as an institutional duty in Lanzarote and in the Archipelago. A strategic space of around 60 thousand square meters, in the middle of the city. We are convinced that its civil destination will mean a substantial improvement in the territorial planning of Arrecife and Lanzarote", Rubio pointed out.
The PSOE believes that it could host the future university campus
The initiative was approved in Parliament with the incorporation of an amendment from the PSOE, which urges that these agreements be transferred to the groups represented in the Cortes Generales, especially those with seats obtained in the constituencies of the Canary Islands. The PSOE deputy for Lanzarote, Marcos Hernández, also insisted on the need for the land of the Marqués de Herrera barracks to be ceded to the city of Arrecife "for its social, cultural use or for the future university campus that the citizens of the island long for so much".
The socialist recalled that during his time as senator for the island he repeatedly conveyed this demand from the citizens of Lanzarote and the institutions of the island to the Upper House and indicated that, originally, that barracks was located on the outskirts of the city, but the urban and demographic growth experienced meant that it was "trapped" in Arrecife. Hernández explained that it is 60,000 square meters that offer enormous possibilities to the municipality "and that is why this claim is totally logical".
