The Contentious-Administrative Court number three of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has issued a ruling in which it agrees to dismiss the appeal filed by the real estate developer Inversur Lanzarote S.L., which intended to annul the protection measures in the Pechiguera Lighthouse for the construction of a single-family housing project.
The resolution, dated May 22, supports the actions of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, which had established measures to limit construction in the area, as reported by the Lanzarote institution itself through a statement.
The Cabildo of Lanzarote, through its Historical Heritage Service and with a favorable opinion from the Insular Commission of Historical Heritage, issued a resolution dated April 19, 2007, authorizing, with conditions, the construction of the project. As this real estate development is in the protection zone of the Pechiguera Lighthouse, which was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest by the Council of Ministers in 2002, the Island Corporation established limitations on the number of homes, their height, and their architectural typology.
In the resolution, the Historical Heritage Service of the Cabildo considered that this reformed project of single-family homes invaded the protection zone, affected the visualization of the monument, and the preservation of the lighthouse's values.
A ruling that supports the Cabildo
Thus, this ruling, issued by Judge María Olimpia del Rosario Palenzuela, sides with the Cabildo and agrees to dismiss the appeal filed by this company. The judge rejects the arguments presented by the developer and argues that the report of the Heritage Inspector of the Cabildo "is supported by objective elements, such as the reformed project and the aerial inspection carried out." "No technical evidence to the contrary has been provided," she indicates.
Furthermore, she adds that, contrary to what the company intended, "the existence of a new lighthouse adjacent to the previous one does not serve to distort the content of the technical report, as it is noted that it was built and put into operation prior to the declaration of Asset of Cultural Interest, so the conditions that should have been taken into account at that time must have been different."
Two lighthouses declared Assets of Cultural Interest
The Pechiguera and Alegranza lighthouses were declared Assets of Cultural Interest in 2002 by the Council of Ministers, at the request of the Ministry of Culture, following a petition from the Cabildo of Lanzarote, which processed the request considering both constructions of high historical, social, architectural, and cultural interest.
The Pechiguera Lighthouse was included in the Lighting Plan of the Canary Islands of 1856, its construction began in 1861 and was completed and inaugurated in 1866. It was designed by Juan León y Castillo, with the help of a Lanzarote engineer named Clavijo.
