The Cabildo of Lanzarote has reported this Monday that it has completed the rehabilitation project of the Plaza de Las Palmas and has sent it to the College of Architects for its supervision, after an agreement between the corporation and the Arrecife City Council.
“After years of disagreements between previous administrations, we have managed to agree on a rehabilitation project for the Plaza de la Iglesia de San Ginés that recovers the historical heritage and the spirit of César Manrique”, according to the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort.
“Once it is supervised by the College of Architects, the Cabildo of Lanzarote will put the work out to tender and award it for an amount of 771,182.57 euros, including Igic,” explains the Councilor of the Heritage Department, Ascensión Toledo.
The Plaza de Las Palmas, in front of the Church of San Ginés in Arrecife, "is in a great state of deterioration caused mainly by the action of the roots of the trees located in the planters of the square that over time have eroded the pavement, lifting the cobblestones and turning the space into a dangerous area for pedestrians", highlights the Cabildo in a press release.
For the head of the Historical Heritage Area of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Ascensión Toledo, “the square will once again have the imprint of our most universal artist and will be a friendly and accessible space for pedestrians and residents in the area”. The councilor appreciates “the effort and work carried out by the technicians of the Department who have had to modify the project countless times to try to reconcile insular and municipal interests, and combine the protection of historical heritage with the vegetal”.
The agreement on the final project has occurred after several meetings between insular and municipal officials in which the president, Oswaldo Betancort, the vice president, Jacobo Medina, the councilor of Heritage, Ascensión Toledo, the mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, the first deputy mayor, Echedey Eugenio, the capital's Heritage councilor, Maciot Cabrera, and the technicians of the Insular Historical Heritage who have worked on the drafting and subsequent modifications of the rehabilitation project participated.
One of the biggest problems when resolving the rehabilitation and reform of the square has been motivated by its double heritage protection, it is in the surroundings of the Asset of Cultural Interest of the Church of San Ginés, and in turn it is the first urban work carried out by César Manrique in Arrecife in the decade of the 50s of the last century.
The keys to the project
The rehabilitation of the square solves the problem of the planters, the pavement, the monument of the square and the cistern, as well as the reorganization of the accesses, to improve the accessibility and transit of the same, with the pedestrianization of Otilia Díaz street.
The project has finally solved its main problem, the section of the planters and the trees that occupy the aforementioned square. The casuarina, the largest tree in the square, will be replaced, since it constitutes an insurmountable obstacle for the rehabilitation of the space; its trunk has invaded the wall and the pillars and prevented the reconstruction of part of the pavement affected by the roots. While the two ficus will remain in the current planters.
The concrete pavement will be replaced by stone, but maintaining the same grid layout of Manrique's original project; the central monument is preserved, disappearing the plaque with the symbol of the phalanx that commemorated the visit of the dictator Franco to the capital, in application of the Law of Democratic Memory.
The central cistern, where historically the water that was brought from Gran Canaria was stored, hence the name of the Plaza de Las Palmas, will be renovated, renewing the forging, and glass skylights will be installed in the pavement that will allow to see that old construction of the decade of the 50s.
As for the exteriors of the square, Otilia Díaz street will be pedestrianized, with exclusive road access for residents, and with the placement of two benches and two jacarandas.
All the lighting of the square will be improved with the installation of a light room in La Recova street, the old lampposts are restored and the lamps will be reproductions similar to those that the original square had, while the led lights will give a warm lighting to the planters and the monument.
In the pavement, in addition, some stone-finished manholes will be included that will be electrical connection points to supply energy to the stalls that are located in the square during the celebration of the Saturday Market.