Social media and its memories. A few days ago, Facebook reminded me of an important event through a photograph I posted five years ago. That image was a true reflection of the beginning of the multiple meetings we had to explain what the approval of the advancement of the General Plan of Arrecife consisted of.
I am talking about this now because of self-criticism, because analyzing the past helps to recognize the mistakes made, and helps us to correct or improve what we have clearly failed at.
I put aside nostalgia and focus on the present. Well, at the moment the Document is in the initial approval phase, an uncertain and gloomy process as can be deduced from the news appearing in the different media.
And it is that we find ourselves with the panorama that the allegations that were presented in their day against the initial approval and that should have been resolved and consequently admitted or rejected, were not answered, which probably means that we will find ourselves in the scenario of a new initial approval of the document.
This comes as a result of the fact that almost weekly we have to read or hear in the media the problems caused by the continuous growth of the city compared to a historic center that is neither renovated nor preserved, which leads to the consequent degradation, and sometimes the disappearance of valuable spaces in Arrecife.
The need for the Catalog of Architectural Protection to see the light is now urgent because there are buildings that undoubtedly require protection and we find others that, due to their condition, will be almost impossible to recover. To act, to be able to solve a problem that has become cyclical and endemic, the completion of the Document is required, because only with it, can the technical reports be given legal basis to allow in some cases the rehabilitation and in others the demolition of buildings.
As well as the need to complete that Catalog, the City Council will have to budget the necessary aid for the restoration or rehabilitation of properties given their historical character or architectural value. What is more, even from the Island Council itself, funds should be provided for actions for this purpose, understanding that it is urgent that the Capital of the island, as happens in most European cities, conserve, attend to and restore its historic buildings.
A dream that now seems very distant, would be to make the rule more flexible to allow the change of use of these buildings and to make it possible to carry out any type of activity in them, as has been done in other Islands of our Autonomous Community, and in which we see well-known commercial brands located in emblematic buildings, which allows us to enjoy the property at the same time as we have a commercial or culinary experience.
At this moment and due to the situation of our City, it is more necessary than ever that the political parties represented in the City Council of Arrecife have a vision. It is not too much to ask, that now, in the middle of the term, they think that due to the deadlines, the procedures, it is necessary to speed up the procedures, to make an effort to complete a project that will structure Arrecife; its neighborhoods, its public space. Otherwise, our city would lose another four years and we will plunge it into the agonizing wait for other elections to see, finally, and if luck allows it, a Government group that is responsible and complies with all the residents of our capital.
José Montelongo (Ex-Mayor of Arrecife)
