The Socialist Group in the Cabildo of Lanzarote denounces the "lack of transparency and the intention" of the president, Oswaldo Betancort, to "reduce the deadlines for citizen participation in a matter of utmost importance" such as the Draft of the Master Plan for Use and Management (PRUG) of the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park.
The document, currently in the environmental consultation phase, was put on public display on July 7 for a period of two months, which would place its completion on September 7. However, Law 4/2017 on Land and Protected Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands clearly establishes that the month of August is non-business for the purposes of citizen participation, so the deadline should be extended until October 7.
The socialist spokesperson in the Cabildo, Ariagona González, warned this Monday in a press release that the island Government “intends to do things behind the backs of citizens, reducing participation deadlines and limiting transparency in a key process for the future of La Graciosa and the Chinijo Archipelago.”
In addition, she warned that “the lack of legal guarantees could endanger the validity of the document. It already happened with the previous PRUG, annulled by the courts in 2016. We cannot allow the same story to be repeated for not respecting the law.”
The PSOE of Lanzarote has warned that it will present allegations within the corresponding period, but has stressed that its demand seeks to protect associations, groups and interested people who, due to the technical complexity and the summer period, may "be at a disadvantage when formulating their contributions."
“August is also a non-business month in practice, in which the majority of groups and administrations have less response capacity. Shortening the deadline is to curtail the citizen's right to participate in a debate that affects a natural space of extremely high value, part of the Biosphere Reserve and the Geopark of Lanzarote”, said González.
For this reason, the socialists have presented a letter demanding that the public exhibition period be extended until October 7, complying with the law and guaranteeing the legal security of an essential document for the future of the Chinijo Archipelago.
