“The construction director told us that many of the touches that are taking place in Playa Honda are by reach and that is due to the domino effect of people who start to look at the work and get lost”
The mayor of San Bartolomé, Isidro Pérez, has been skeptical of the statements of the Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, who said a few days ago on the program “A Buena Hora” on Crónicas Radio that there is no type of political boycott of the Playa Honda health center. In this same program, Pérez has stated that this matter already seems like the whiting that is biting its tail and he trusts that it can be resolved now. In another vein, he once again highlighted the importance of planning to solve pressing problems such as housing on the Island and explained that the Playa Honda work is going at a good pace and that the accidents that are occurring are precisely because some Drivers become distracted and collide with the pivots.
– This Friday we had two teachers denouncing that the Ministry is removing training cycles related to the primary sector. Don’t you think it’s unfair?
– In political programs there is a lot of talk about certain things; Then they act in a different way and I know one of the institutes where they are possibly going to make these cuts and it has taken them by surprise.
– You are a delegate of FECAM. Can’t the city councils put pressure on this to be corrected?
– Yes, we are pressing with many things; also with the protocol that the Ministry has tried to endorse on us for the maintenance and conservation of the schools and we are surprised that this protocol has arrived when the responsibilities and powers are not municipal. We are seeing different legislation that is being carried out by the Government of the Canary Islands, which is reaching the municipalities and we are going to have to be alert and put ourselves together because the Canarian Federation of Municipalities does not have political colors and we are all represented with a common interest, which is municipalism and this is how we are sending it, both in the previous legislature and in this one, to the Government of the Canary Islands.
– A few days ago, Esther Monzón, Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, was in Crónicas and says that you are exaggerating with the issue of the Playa Honda health center and that there are no political colors, that you made a mistake when it came to processing the project but it will be corrected in the next budget. Is it like this or not?
– The counselor is very kind and although she says that there are no political colors, I have information in my hand that says the opposite. It’s not something that occurred to me; The thing is that I have the project for the Playa Honda health center in my hand, which was handed over to the counselor in the hall of the Lancelot hotel in Arrecife and what cannot be is for the counselor to say that there is no project. Another thing is the processing of the transfer of the land, which we have done up to three times. When the study of the need for the health center is carried out, it is the Ministry of Health that tells San Bartolomé in writing that it needs us to give it the land, we give the land in the first instance to the Ministry, which is who requests it from us. It is true that there is an error of 0.43 centimeters in 1997 meters; We corrected it and we were surprised that we received a new notification that tells us that the land should not be transferred to the Ministry but should be transferred to the Autonomous Community, that the Autonomous Community accept it from the Ministry of Finance and Heritage and this, transfer it to the Ministry of Health. I believe that it is the whiting that bites its tail and although I do not want to be ill-considered, there is no longer any justification. We have already given up the ground three times; one by mistake measuring 43 centimeters and now that we have already transferred it to the Autonomous Community, I hope that the counselor sees the project, because I gave it to her, and she only has to move the financial file to move the project forward.
– It is assumed that for the next budget it has to come in no matter what.
– After trying for months to have an appointment with the counselor, I had to go to the house where the problems in the Canary Islands are resolved, which is Parliament, and thanks to Poli Suárez, who put me in contact with the counselor , what they have told us is that there is a common stock market and there will be a financial record for it. I am looking forward to this being so.
– He has also met with the director of the Canarian Housing Institute to talk about the problem we have with this issue in Lanzarote, which is not resolved with luxury macro-organizations but with other types of actions. Did the meeting serve any purpose?
– This is a commitment that was extracted from the Minister of Public Works to travel to each of the islands to explain to the technicians and the political side the decree law of urgent measures of 2024 because there are many doubts. The counselor accepted and yesterday he was the one who was going to be present but at the last minute something unexpected happened and the general director of ICAVI came, who gave his explanations; he talked about future projects on the island; He mentioned the number of homes that are being built now and the work and drafting of other projects. It was a meeting in which many technicians from all city councils and public officials such as the Housing Councilor of the Lanzarote Council were present. He was very satisfactory as a representative of the Insular Commissioner of FECAM and I have to thank him for his participation. We are going to continue demanding that they give us information about the procedures because that will improve each of our municipalities.
– Perhaps in your municipality it is not possible to build many more homes and the solution lies in Arrecife.
– Yes. The large bags of soil that are destined right now are in Arrecife and Yaiza. One of the things that we also propose is the planning of the municipalities, which is as it is and that makes it difficult to carry out many projects because they affect land that is in action units that must be fully developed and that is very complicated.
– We have to solve it now because our children need a place to live in the future.
– Of course, and another of the approaches that exist in the five working groups that have been held regarding the demographic challenge was the difficulties with planning. In San Bartolomé we have been approving a general plan since 2019 and right now we are awaiting the final sectoral reports but we cannot take five years to develop a general plan, which is the future of a municipality, and which is needed for land use for homes.
– They have resolved in record time the damage to the walls caused by the April storm in Playa Honda.
– Yes. We started working imminently since April 9, which took us by surprise. We carried out the work out of urgency to guarantee the safety of the number of people who pass through the avenue every day and it is now finished.
-Who pays for that?
– The City Council pays for it because we have a little money thanks to the good economic manager in San Bartolomé. The Secretary’s report was issued due to an emergency and we were able to move it forward.
– The Urban Planning Councilor said in this program that they have a dispute with the City Council regarding the old Maui nightclub because a long time ago they presented another document to declare it ruined and demolish it. Has there been any progress?
– He’s still standing. We have sent it to the Councilor of Public Works of the Cabildo with a report from the municipal architect to declare it in ruins. I told him that part of the expropriation of that land corresponds to the Cabildo because it is a regional highway that is assigned to the Cabildo and that the only thing we can do is take it to our technicians but the expropriation and demolition of that corresponds to the Cabildo. I think it is an urgent need because entering Lanzarote and seeing that there is not the best image and furthermore, it is a matter of security.
– Are there squatters inside?
– Yes, there is a person with mental health problems who was in another location in the industrial zone and is currently spending the night there. We have spoken with this man; Our social services are helping him but it has not been possible.
– Are you a person with Diogenes Syndrome?
– Yeah.
– They are at a good pace with the Playa Honda work although it must be said that accidents are occurring with the pivots. Are people driving too fast or what is happening?
– The construction director told us that many of the touches are occurring by reach and that is due to the domino effect of people who start looking at the work and get lost.
– So, are you happy with the pace of the work?
– Yes, we are happy. We have been in direct contact with the general director of Road Infrastructure, which has allowed us to have direct communication with the construction director and they tell us that the deadlines are as established. It is true that there have been some small delays in traffic but it is going as planned.
– Finally, what about the Playa Honda Urban Park, because it looks like the work of El Escorial?
– If nothing happens, next week the road will be opened and the 140 established parking spaces will be opened for use.
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