The Cabildo of Lanzarote "continues to advance in its commitment to land management and control of tourist growth." This was announced by the Councilor for Land Management, Jesús Machín, during the plenary session held this Tuesday, where he reported the withdrawal of 13 new lodging units, which are added to the 120 previously eliminated due to non-compliance with the requirements of the decree. “We have eliminated 104,000 square meters of tourist land and we continue to advance in the revision of the Island Planning Plan to adapt it to the real needs of Lanzarote,” explained Machín.
Jesús Machín defended the work of the Government group "against the inaction of previous mandates and recalled that decisions on territorial planning must be based on solid technical and legal criteria, avoiding improvisations or measures that may generate legal uncertainty in the sector."
The councilor was forceful in recalling that "the regulation of vacation homes is an issue that the PSOE left unaddressed during its mandate." “We work under criteria of rigorous planning and sustainability, ensuring that any measure adopted in tourism matters responds to a solid legal framework and the general interest of citizens. Therefore, it does not make sense for the PSOE to ask for a tourist moratorium for the entire island while in the Tías City Council they promote the construction of a new hotel,” Machín criticized.
Also, he made it clear that the position of the current Island Government is not to prohibit vacation homes, but to regulate them in an "effective manner, ensuring that it does not affect access to housing for residents and avoiding situations of abuse by large operators." “We have achieved the withdrawal of 120 vacation homes that do not comply with the requirements and now we add 13 more,” he stated, affirming that concrete measures are being taken to guarantee a balanced tourism model.
Likewise, he insisted that "vacation homes should not be demonized, since for many families it represents a fundamental source of income, and that regulation should focus on those who hoard a large number of properties, leaving residents at a disadvantage."
"Balanced" tourist development with legal backing
Jesús Machín responded in a "clear way" to the motion presented by the Socialist Party for the Cabildo to promote a tourist moratorium in the Parliament of the Canary Islands, recalling that "the Land Law establishes that island plans cannot set bed limits, since this competence lies with the city councils."
The councilor pointed out that "any measure in this line must be duly justified, since in the past the justice system has overturned similar moratoriums." In this sense, he lamented that "from the opposition they try to generate debates that do not have legal or technical support, when the priority should be to advance in a model of balanced and sustainable development for the island."
“This government group does not hide behind unfounded motions. We are working on real solutions, with technical criteria and within the legal framework,” said Machín, underlining the importance of addressing tourism growth in a planned and responsible manner.
Machín closed his speech reaffirming the "commitment of the current government group to a balanced and sustainable development for Lanzarote." “While others limit themselves to presenting unfounded motions or without legal basis, this government works with facts eliminating unnecessary tourist land, updating urban plans and proposing an island model based on balance and sustainability,” concluded Councilor Jesús Machín.
