The councillor of the Mixed Group at the Insular Council of Lanzarote, Óscar Noda, has presented a motion for the upcoming plenary session requesting that the Council “assign a specific purpose to the ten million euros of surplus funds for the construction project of one hundred and thirty-six homes in Playa Blanca, as the President of the Council committed with ICAVI and the Yaiza Town Hall.”
Housing Crisis in Lanzarote
According to Óscar Noda, “the lack of housing is more than evident. The shortfall in affordable housing is currently the main issue facing the population of Lanzarote. Data from ISTAC and CIS clearly indicate that access to housing is becoming increasingly difficult for our youth, and unfortunately, for those who are not so young as well. The average age for becoming independent and securing a home exceeds 35 years, and it has been shown that, with today’s salaries, over seven years of net savings from an employee’s wage are required to secure a mortgage, which is entirely unfeasible. Furthermore, we must consider the high cost of land, the rise in the prices of second-hand homes, and the average salary of workers in our country, all of which contribute to a perfect storm that prevents access to decent housing. We are reaching levels of social emergency, especially in light of phenomena such as holiday rentals, which have an even greater impact in fragmented and limited areas like Lanzarote.”
Government Initiatives
“In 2022,” Noda continues, “the Yaiza Government allocated a plot of land to the Canary Islands Government for housing construction in Playa Blanca, one of the most affected municipalities. Within its authority, it found a solution by granting and formalising a deed to ICAVI for a 42,000m² plot in Montaña Roja, a project worth over 35 million euros. The Director of the Canary Islands Housing Institute, Jesús Ortega, confirmed that the Lanzarote Council had committed to collaborating with ten million euros for the execution costs of this project, beyond the European funds that the Canary Islands Government would allocate for the purpose. It is reasonable that, after seeing that the Lanzarote Council has recently had to adopt and approve an Economic and Financial Plan to secure financing and undertake essential investments to address the main issues on the island, we request that these surplus funds be directed towards prioritising key actions aimed at minimally addressing the critical shortage of housing affecting the people of Lanzarote, without forgetting that Oswaldo Betancort made this commitment. We hope it has not been forgotten,” concludes Óscar Noda.
