The Government of the Canary Islands has definitively unblocked the approval of the Supplementary General Plan of Arrecife, which has been processed since 2014 and whose entry into force is scheduled for before next December. The Autonomous Commission of Single Report agreed last week unanimously on the content of this document, which they defend is "of vital importance for the development and territorial planning of the capital of Lanzarote, which will be submitted to a period of public information for one month".
Once the difficulties and delays in its processing were overcome, the document was analyzed by the City Council and the Government of the Canary Islands in July last year, when the latest modifications were proposed and a joint roadmap was agreed to promote its approval. In November, the new version of the general plan was delivered to be submitted to the relevant reports and new consultations with the administrations involved. The City Council approved it last March, and last week the Ministry of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water of the Government of the Canary Islands endorsed both the modifications to the plan and its referral to public information.
The document, which was initially approved in 2014 and whose environmental report was extended in 2024, has been updated in accordance with current legislation, especially Law 4/2017 on Land and Protected Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands. Its objectives and strategic lines include:
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Implementation of general systems and public facilities, essential to improve the quality of life in Arrecife.
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Promotion of land for protected housing, contributing to alleviate the shortage of affordable housing.
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Organization of industrial and productive land, they argue that "key to economic development and sectoral diversification".
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Protection and improvement of the quality of tourist accommodation, in line with the guidelines of renovation and sustainability.
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Compatibility with environmental values, integrating planning with the regulations of coasts, ports and civil aviation.
The document has been subject to a technical and legal review by GESPLAN, and the adjustments proposed in the monitoring commissions with the Arrecife City Council have been incorporated, guaranteeing its adaptation to the regulatory framework and municipal demands.
This agreement represents a significant step towards a more sustainable, orderly and functional city model, unblocking a planning that had not been updated for years and allowing a more efficient management of the territory for the benefit of the citizens of Arrecife.
As an urban planning guarantee measure, it has been agreed to suspend the granting of urban planning licenses in those areas where the new planning modifies the current regime. This suspension will be up to two years or until the final approval of the plan, and licenses may only be granted if the project complies with the current regime or when the new determinations are less restrictive.
