After many years and many meetings, the Government of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo of Lanzarote and the Yaiza City Council have reached an agreement to expand the current port of Playa Blanca. Both the general director of Ports of the Government of the Canary Islands, José Manuel Soto, as well as the vice president of the Cabildo, Fabián Martín, and the mayor of Yaiza, Gladys Acuña, expressed their satisfaction this Wednesday with the agreement.
The current port no longer meets the necessary conditions to host the activity it has, they acknowledged. The level of occupation is very high and the conditions in which ships dock and set sail are not ideal. In addition, fishing, commercial, passenger and sports activities are mixed in the port.
The administrations have discarded seventeen variants. The processing of the project will be extended until the end of 2010, at which time it will be awarded, environmental impact studies will be carried out and it will have to be approved by the Cotmac and the General Directorate of Coasts. The tender is planned for the end of 2010 and the start of works in 2011.
NEW PORT
The expansion will consist of the construction of a new outer dock, parallel to the current one, of more than three hundred meters that will have capacity for the two regular line ships and for some other boat. It will be done using vertical concrete boxes.
In addition, the number of berths for fishing and sports use will be expanded and uses will be separated by zones. The access area to the port will also be expanded and surface will be gained from the sea for a commercial and parking area. The investment will be around forty million euros.
