Arona Council Seeks Ideas for Los Cristianos' Maruchi Site

The Arona City Council has started asking residents for their ideas on what to do with the old Maruchi Little Schools site in Los Cristianos. This move could finally bring life back to a key piece of land that has been empty for ten years.

During a recent council meeting, it was decided to open a public consultation. The goal is to collect suggestions for how the space should be used, with the aim of designing a new building that can serve many purposes.

The site is 1,327 square meters and has three small buildings. It hasn't been used by the public since 2012, when the Canary Islands Government's Department of Education handed it over to the Arona council. Before that, until 2007, it was an adult education center. Its location in Los Cristianos and its historical importance make it a vital spot for the coastal town, even though it's currently in very poor condition.

In 2021, after checking its state, the City Council changed the planning rules for the plot to allow for more types of uses. However, nothing public has happened with the site since then. Earlier attempts to hold competitions for design ideas also didn't go anywhere.

Luis García, spokesperson for Más por Arona, stressed the need to act on this space during the council meeting, arguing that it's both possible and necessary to bring it back into use.

Besides this, the council discussed other important local matters. They unanimously approved a motion asking Aena and the Ministry of Interior to take steps to prevent further collapses at the South Airport. This is especially important in the arrivals and passport control areas, as it affects the island's main tourist entry point.

The council also agreed to support the Institutional Declaration for World Rare Disease Day. This initiative comes from the Spanish Federation for Rare Diseases (Feder) and is being promoted through the Canarian Federation of Municipalities (Fecam).