The Somos Lanzarote group in the San Bartolomé City Council filed a complaint last Tuesday with the Prosecutor's Office of the Arrecife Area, bringing to its attention "possible irregularities" in the execution of the project 'Adaptation of playgrounds in the municipality of San Bartolomé'. Specifically, the party focuses its complaint on the execution of the 'Parque Los Roques', located in Playa Honda and currently closed "by decision of the City Council itself". They allude to "opacity" to access the information, project measures that do not coincide with the Cadastre and "security" problems, even with games with "risk of entrapment" for minors.
From the organization they point out that there are "serious doubts that the project adapts to all the urban parameters contained in the subsidiary regulations of the municipality's planning, both in the main use of the type of land, in this case green area, as well as omitting specific requirements of the park's equipment".
"Opacity" in the information
Somos Lanzarote explains that it has requested reports on several occasions because there are aspects of the project that do not coincide with other records. "One of the fundamental questions is what real measures the plot on which the park is located has, a question that would be clarifying to determine if the project complies with the regulations or not. The project indicates that it has been executed based on the cadastral measures, and it contains measures that do not coincide with those provided by the cadastre itself, with a difference of about 900 meters", they point out.
"We have repeatedly requested that a report of measurements of the plot be delivered to us that has been made prior to the start of the project, since it is an essential requirement, and as stated in the minutes of the survey, that the project director, Mr. Cárdenas Carrillo, has carried out 'the geometric verification of the measurements of the plot'", adds Somos. "However, we have been given different objections to access it and we are still being referred to the cadastral measures reflected in the project", they denounce from Somos Lanzarote.
Games with "risk of entrapment" and other "security issues"
Another of the aspects on which the organization has focused is that referring to the "breaches" of security in the installation of the park. From Somos Lanzarote they point out that both Parque Los Roques and Parque Los Reyes have "different reports made by external companies hired by the City Council itself at the request of opposition groups, which certify different breaches in terms of security that occur in the installation of the park".
"In addition to failing to comply with issues reflected in the specifications such as the maximum permitted height dimensions or the minimum safety distances, the installed games have a risk of entrapment and other deficiencies that should have been detected before they were made public. The company did not present the certificates and technical data sheets required by European regulations to certify their approval", they point out. These are issues that, in the opinion of the organization, "the City Council cannot ignore to ensure the safety of the girls and boys who use the park".
"The City Council has shown that it has not been able to effectively manage this situation. On the one hand, a park was placed a meter and a half from some homes without even informing the neighborhood. Subsequently, they detect breaches committed by the company and we are totally sure that the company was held responsible because the opposition pressured for it", they point out from Somos Lanzarote.
"It has been made to believe that Parque Los Roques is closed due to complaints from the neighborhood and it is not true. In addition to the fact that there were serious deficiencies in the safety of the installed elements, there must be another reason for the closure since Parque Los Reyes presents the same deficiencies and has not been closed. Somos Lanzarote wants public spaces to be opened, but compliance with the law is essential for this, as well as the conditioning of the same to guarantee correct coexistence", concludes the party.