The Plenary of the Lanzarote Cabildo has given the green light to the Land Use Plan for the Natural Resources of the Los Volcanes Natural Park, a document that unlocks territorial planning in the south of the island and recognises El Golfo as a consolidated urban area for the first time.
The Lanzarote Cabildo has definitively approved the Land Use Plan for the Natural Resources (PORN) of the Los Volcanes Natural Park, an instrument that had been stagnant for years and will now allow the regularisation of hundreds of homes in El Golfo, in the municipality of Yaiza. The decision, made in the Plenary session of the island corporation, marks a milestone in the territorial planning of the island.
A Historic Recognition for El Golfo
The document recognises the El Golfo area as consolidated urban land for the first time. This means that residents who have lived in legally irregular housing for decades will be able to start the process to legalise their homes. A demand that seemed impossible to resolve.
The president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, described the agreement as “one of the most important in recent years.” In his statements, made after the plenary session, he asserted that “it shows that Lanzarote can move forward when there is political will to unlock the strategic issues of the island.”
“For too long, territorial planning remained paralyzed, creating uncertainty for residents, farmers, businesses, and administrations. Today we take a decisive step to reverse that situation,” Betancort stated.
The vice president María Jesús Tovar emphasised that the PORN provides “security and peace of mind” to residents in the south of the island, one of the areas with the highest tourist and demographic pressure.
More Facilities for Yaiza
The plan not only addresses urban regularisation. It also includes changes in land classification that will allow for the expansion of the Yaiza health centre and the improvement of municipal sports facilities. The aim is to provide public services to a population that has continued to grow in recent years.
Additionally, areas are being modified from natural protected land to rural settlement land, which will facilitate orderly development in already consolidated areas along the road. All of this, according to the Cabildo, is compatible with environmental conservation.
The councillor for Territorial Planning, Jesús Machín, highlighted the work done: “We have recovered files that had been forgotten for years and have complied with all legal procedures.” Machín recalled that, in addition to the PORN, other instruments such as the advancement of the Island Land Use Plan (PIOLC) or the Special Plan for the Protected Landscape of La Geria have been promoted.
A Participatory and Guaranteeing Process
The processing of the PORN began in June 2024 with the consideration of the draft. Since then, a public information period was opened in which five objections were received, all of which were analysed and responded to. State bodies such as the General Directorate of Coasts and the Ministry of Defence were also consulted, which issued favourable reports.
For the residents of El Golfo, the approval marks the end of a bureaucratic nightmare. They will now be able to go to the property registry with legal backing that they previously did not have. The Cabildo estimates that hundreds of families will directly benefit from this measure.
With this step, Lanzarote regains the initiative in territorial planning after years of paralysis. The next challenge will be the definitive approval of the PIOLC, which will set the development guidelines for the island for the coming decades.
You may also like
