By ACN Press
The war between the Cabildo of Lanzarote and some social institutions of the Island and the City Council of Yaiza has been going on for some time now, due to the urban policy promoted in the tourist town of Playa Blanca.
Tired of being constantly pointed the accusing finger, the southern mayor, José Francisco Reyes, once again assured this Tuesday that he has fulfilled his "duty to ensure the economic development of the municipality." He also urges the president of the Island Corporation to open a dialogue, together with businessmen, to resolve the differences by "peaceful means."
Since the so-called tourist moratorium was approved in 2000, the market has seen the release of almost 20,000 new tourist beds, many of them in the south of the Island, then one of the least exploited areas. The Island Council then initiated several lawsuits against the urban licenses granted hastily for contravening the island's planning. The truth is that the courts have not ended up ruling in favor of the Island Corporation, nor have they cleared up the doubts.
The latest episode in this pulse has been written from the Department of Territorial Policy of the Cabildo, which has denied the opening and operation license to several accommodation establishments that have been operating for some time in Playa Blanca: the Hotel Papagayo Arena, the Rubicón Palace and the Caybeach apartment complex. The threat of demolition scares many businessmen, although history shows that time is on their side.
"Persecution"
In this scenario of confrontation, the mayor of Yaiza denounced a "constant persecution" of his City Council, "intending to marginalize a municipality that has decided to live from tourism and obtain prosperity." "Yaiza has 46 kilometers of coastline and has only sacrificed 8 to build. Jobs have been created for many citizens of the Island. And yet, it seems that attention is always focused on us, when much more has been built in the rest of Lanzarote," said the mayor.
The Plenary of the Cabildo has debated on some occasion the possibility of taking Reyes to court for his urban policy. The mayor says he does not fear legal actions against his decisions to grant licenses because they have the "endorsement of technicians and jurists."
As a solution to this problem, Reyes opts to "sit down to dialogue" with the Cabildo. "I have never refused to resolve this amicably. There is a predisposition on the part of the City Council and the businessmen, all that remains is for the Cabildo to agree to negotiate", he finally specified.
