The Arrecife City Council, in an extraordinary plenary session held on Friday morning, has definitively approved the expansion of the San Román Municipal Cemetery. The measure, which contemplates the construction of 2,800 new niches, responds to the need to guarantee the capacity of the cemetery, at least until 2030.
The expansion will be possible thanks to the minor modification of the General Planning Plan of Arrecife, which recategorizes 5,578.48 m² of rustic land for natural protection to rustic land for infrastructure. This change allows allocating a plot adjacent to the cemetery for its expansion, ensuring its integration into the environment and complying with current environmental and urban planning regulations.
The Councilor for Urban Planning, Maciot Cabrera, has highlighted the importance of this project, stating that "with this expansion, we ensure an essential service for the residents of Arrecife. We have worked with technical and legal rigor to make this initiative a reality, with an initial investment of more than two million euros that will guarantee the sustainability of the cemetery for several years."
Cabrera has highlighted "the urgency of the expansion due to the saturation of the current available space, where only 18 free niches remain."
The project, which was supported with favorable reports from entities such as the Cabildo of Lanzarote, the Insular Water Council, and the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, among others, also includes an economic and environmental sustainability study, as well as the implementation of rainwater channeling systems and adaptation to the aeronautical easements of the environment.
This expansion, which will take place on the western boundary of the current cemetery, will not only allow increasing capacity but also modernizing the infrastructure of the site.
The councilor recalled that "this project, initiated in 2020 at the request of the Department of Health, has overcome multiple stages, including the initial approval in December 2023, the public consultation in 2024, and the issuance of favorable reports by various administrations. Its culmination represents a milestone for the city of Arrecife."
The expansion of the San Román Cemetery has been declared of public interest, given its essential character as a mandatory municipal service, which allowed its execution on rustic land in accordance with current legislation.
The work will be supervised by the Department of Urban Planning and is expected to begin in the coming months, after the corresponding administrative procedures.
