The residents of Altavista are witnessing a situation that at the very least should invite us to a calm reflection. A new license for a gas station on León y Castillo street was approved by the Local Government Board urgently, remotely, and in the middle of Holy Week. With this one, there are now five in less than 300 meters and all on the same road.
From my humble opinion, this reality generates at least many doubts about the Arrecife we want to build. I want to highlight that two of these five gas stations belong to a company with Lanzarotean capital, they have been established in the area for many decades, when this environment was not precisely attractive, but quite the opposite. This family bet on a place with less development, contributing to the evolution of the neighborhood.
This opinion piece does not intend to question the legality of the licenses granted. I fully trust that everything approved by the competent municipal body is analyzed and executed with the utmost rigor and responsibility, guaranteeing on the part of the current governing group that possible millionaire compensations for the Arrecife City Council are avoided in the future.
The only thing I intend with these words is to analyze whether it is opportune to continue installing this type of services in the same area. In the middle of 2026, does it make sense to continue concentrating this type of infrastructure in such a reduced space? Does the increase in this type of licenses respond to a demand due to their necessity or does it correspond to interests that have little to do with the well-being of the people?
I think we all think that Arrecife needs to grow, of course, but grow with common sense. If we bet on a balanced development for our municipality, we should also think about mobility, environmental impact, security, and balanced urban planning.
Let's not kid ourselves, the accumulation of one more gas station in this same area will generate more traffic problems, more added risks and more environmental degradation that directly affects residents and businesses.
What good does it do us to talk nowadays about sustainability and energy transition, when we promote and encourage the proliferation of this type of facilities without a prior and transparent debate?
Urban planning cannot be a sum of isolated decisions, but a shared vision of the future.
Perhaps we are still in time to rethink where we are going. Because growing is not only adding projects, but building the Reef that we deserve.
