The president of the community of owners of the Virginia Park urbanization, in Playa Blanca, Juan Martín, filed a complaint this Thursday with the Arrecife Prosecutor's Office for the "invasion and destruction" of a public road by the Paradise Island apart-hotel, which is building an aquapark. These facts were also brought to the attention of the Prosecutor's Office by the Canarian Coalition in the Yaiza City Council last November.
Juan Martín considers that these facts may constitute a criminal offense against Public Heritage "not only by the hotel company", but also "with the consent of the City Council". For this reason, he went to the Prosecutor's Office this Thursday, accompanied by the community administrator, Ricardo Tavío, so that "the responsibilities that could derive from these facts are determined."
Martín explains in his complaint, to which La Voz has had access, that he represents about 170 families who live between Francia Street and India Street, in Playa Blanca. According to his claim, "for a long time" the residents of these streets have seen how the Paradise Island hotel complex "has been carrying out different works."
"Large vehicles with heavy machinery enter daily. The entrance through this street makes it difficult to park our vehicles and causes a lot of noise," says Juan Martín, who therefore decided to go to the Yaiza City Council to find out if the works had a municipal license. In addition, in this complex you can also see "the installation of several slides on the street that has been invaded."
"Lacked a municipal license"
Martín points out in the complaint filed with the Prosecutor's Office that he was "surprised" when he was told that the works "lacked a municipal license" and that, even, the "immediate suspension and sealing" of these works had been decreed. Despite this, according to the president of this community of residents, the works continue. "We understand that it is a dereliction of duty on the part of the acting mayor, Francisco Guzmán Rodríguez (who was the one who signed the decree to stop the works)," Martín indicates.
The residents have taken several photographs of the area, which they have also included in the complaint to the Prosecutor's Office. In them, "the different large vehicles breaking sections of asphalt, sidewalks, curbs, trees and excavations" can be observed. "It is clearly observed how the sidewalks of the street disappear."
These works that began to be carried out in the hotel facilities, "began to invade longitudinally more than half the length of the street, with a fence of sheets of approximately two meters high." "The residents understood that the placement of that fence could be due to a provisional circumstance while the works lasted. But, given that the movements and alterations affected the public space of India Street, it caught our attention and that is why I called a local police officer, who appeared at the scene and verbally said that the works had the necessary municipal permits," he says.
Street breakage
Juan Martín points out that the works that the Paradise Island apart-hotel has carried out in this area have caused the "breakage in the entire invaded section of the trees, sidewalks, curbs, asphalt, lighting and excavations with different levels." "A real mess," he remarks in his complaint.
The residents went to the Prosecutor's Office because they fear that said works "will continue to invade the street, until they try to reach the entrance itself." "Therefore, our access to our homes would become a considerably reduced space," he insists. In addition, Juan Martín also points out that "at no time" did the Yaiza City Council inform the affected residents about these works. "We are amazed when, overnight, we find ourselves in a situation that we could never have imagined would happen."
For its part, the City Council points out that the part of the street that they are invading was actually owned by the hotel, but the residents are not convinced by this argument. In fact, they consider that this hotel complex contributed in its day the "corresponding physical space of its private plot for the construction of the corresponding access and exit roads, as it could not be otherwise." "The so-called hotel complex recovers what it once celebrated to the City Council. That is, what I give you today, I will take away from you tomorrow," say the residents.
Gladys Acuña's response
The mayor of Yaiza, Gladys Acuña, assured this Thursday on Radio Lanzarote that these works in the Paradise Island complex do have a license. In this sense, she said that the land on that street "belongs to the hotel" and also stated that at first the City Council ordered the works to be stopped because "they were going to build a squash court, but they took advantage and started to dismantle." "When they alerted us, the police went and sealed off the works." However, she assures that later they requested the license and it was granted because they complied," she indicated.
In addition, the mayor pointed out that there is still a part of the works that is sealed off, because there was a complaint that indicated that the hotel complex was "eating up a green space." "We are verifying it and if so, they will have to demolish it."
