The urban renovation works in Tinasoria are set to resume in the coming weeks following a favourable report from the Consultative Council of the Canary Islands and a new management team for the project.
Background to the Works
The Arrecife City Council, via the Department of Public Works, had suspended operations in the Tinasoria neighbourhood due to repeated failures by the project director, who had secured the position through a public tender. Every public project requires technical direction during execution, which the council had planned to tender in order to initiate the urban transformation of this neighbourhood, originally developed with social housing. The mayor, Yonathan de León, taking direct responsibility for the Public Works Department, decided to terminate the director’s contractual agreement due to his ongoing non-compliance and the fact that he does not reside in Lanzarote. This decision invoked the Public Sector Contracts Law, enabling the council to complete the works, which are fully funded and have a qualified construction company ready for execution.
Proceeding with New Contracts
To continue the works, which is the mayor’s intention, the Consultative Council of the Canary Islands was requested to provide the necessary binding report for the legal termination of the contract and to proceed with the new appointment of technical management.
On 16 September, the Consultative Council issued a binding report in favour of the mayor, which will allow the works to resume with new management for the project and health and safety coordination.
Consultative Council Verdict
The 44-page consultative verdict, available on their website, supports the legal decision made by the mayor and confirms its compliance with the law. It reviews the beginning of the works, the shortcomings of the project management, and the positive decision of the City Council.
The verdict states, “This opinion—requested by the Mayor-President of Arrecife regarding the Proposal for the Resolution of the administrative contract for ‘Project Management Services and Coordination of Health and Safety for the urban renewal of Tinasoria (Lot 2)’ (EXP. 309/2025 CA) dated 4 July 2025—provides a summary of the project’s initiations, the project management’s non-compliance, and the council’s favourable decision.”
The report emphasises that “the Council finds the reasoning of the Proposal for Resolution to be correct, as it describes the various infractions attributed to the contractor as a single incident consisting of specific and precise failures observed from October onwards, which were subsequently reiterated in the following weeks without correction by the contractor. Ultimately, this culminated in their complete abandonment of contractual obligations, evidenced by their renunciation, which is itself a cause for resolution. The contractor’s ongoing actions within a short time frame constitute a single cause for termination, without needing to specify each individual breach reported from October to December.”
Timeline of Events
The act of verification for the Tinasoria project’s groundwork was signed on 8 August 2024. The works commenced in the previous autumn but were met with failure to respond to the contractor’s requests and the council’s directives. Work was halted at the beginning of this year, prompting the council to initiate legal proceedings to terminate the contract. On 4 July, all required documentation was submitted to the Consultative Council, which subsequently issued a final ruling on 16 September, allowing the works to continue with a new management arrangement.
Mayor’s Commitment
Mayor Yonathan de León has confirmed that the City Council is now following the stipulated provisions of the Public Sector Contracts Law, which will enable the completion of these works in the coming weeks. This project is part of a broader initiative by the Municipal Government to renovate Arrecife’s neighbourhoods, aiming to provide Tinasoria with a modern, accessible, and sustainable image featuring green spaces, accessible pavements, resurfaced roads, a stormwater system, and drip irrigation for over 50 new trees to be planted along the streets of this neighbourhood, established in the 1970s with social housing.
