The Cabildo of Lanzarote has reached a "definitive agreement" with the owners of "the priest's house", in the municipality of Haría, to acquire this property for 600,000 euros. This was announced by the Minister of the Presidency, Finance and Contracting, Luis Arráez, who states that this purchase "is part of the Development Plan of the municipality of Haría". This plan arises from the agreement reached between both institutions to end the lawsuit of the Cueva de Los Verdes, through a 10-year investment plan. However, its validity is currently in doubt, since the City Council itself has publicly requested to review the terms of that agreement.
Among other things, as La Voz de Lanzarote revealed two weeks ago, the agreement was approved without an economic report determining whether or not it was appropriate to accept it. Haría's own auditor had warned in writing that it was necessary to request this report, but even so the agreement was taken to the municipal Plenary without this information, and also without favorable municipal reports. The only report from a technician or lawyer of the City Council that was attached to the file was that of the auditor, which was conditional on the request for that economic report.
Now, while the government group of Haría and especially the partner of CC in the municipality, Somos Lanzarote, have asked to review that agreement, the Cabildo continues with its application. "This type of initiatives and projects are what is truly important for the residents of Haría and not the institutional confrontation that the minority groups that did not receive the support of the citizens want to lead us to", said the president of the Cabildo, Pedro San Ginés, who had already made it clear publicly that he has no intention of renegotiating the agreement. Under this agreement, the City Council renounces the rights that the justice system recognized in the lawsuit of the Cave, with a ruling that condemned the Cabildo to abandon this tourist center and pay a millionaire compensation to the City Council.
Will host a "Palm Grove Interpretation Center"
"The acquisition, which has the collaboration and approval of the Department of Historical Heritage of the first Island Institution, led by Councilor Carmen Rosa Márquez, will be made for an amount of 600,000 euros and aims to value and protect the cultural and natural heritage of the municipality of Haría", explains the Cabildo in a statement, in which it announces that it has already started the process to carry out this purchase.
"Once the purchase process is complete, the property will be delivered to the City Council of Haría, which plans to use it as a Palm Grove Interpretation Center", explained Luis Arraéz. According to the Island Corporation, the City Council informed it in July 2017 "of its interest" in the acquisition of the building. "In the document, sent to the Cabildo of Lanzarote, the City Council stated that the heritage interest of this house 'is high', considering it an 'attractive' building for culture and tourism, since the Palm Grove Interpretation Center of Haría would be installed there", specifies the island institution.
Regarding the characteristics of the property, they point out that it is a whitewashed one-story house, with a flat roof and a square plan, with an interior patio around which the rooms of the house are distributed. "The facade maintains the traditional symmetrical scheme of five openings, with a door in the center and two sash windows on each side. The entrance is preceded by a garden surrounded by a small wall that restricts direct access to the property. It is a building with two different parts. The main one is a historic house from the late 19th century (1895) subsequently renovated, and the second is an extension that was carried out in the late 80s. The exterior area of the land has been dedicated to parking. It consists of 1077.5 square meters built", specifies the Cabildo.