Canary Islands Municipalities Outsource Urban Planning to Clear Permit Backlogs

Canary Island municipalities are increasingly outsourcing urban planning to overcome administrative gridlock. According to El Día, the Candelaria City Council has partnered with the Official Association of Architects of Tenerife, La Gomera, and El Hierro (Coactfe) to help clear a backlog of building permit applications.

Under Decree-Law 3/2025, the council can now subcontract the technical review of these projects. Previously, these reports were handled exclusively by municipal staff. Now, the Association of Architects will prepare the reports, which will then be sent to the council’s legal department for final approval. This new process aims to limit waiting times to a maximum of three months for the first 18 files.

This move addresses a long-standing issue across the islands, where staff shortages in planning departments have caused some permit applications to stall for up to four years. These delays create uncertainty for residents and discourage private investment and new housing construction. While larger cities like Santa Cruz de Tenerife process permits in six to twelve months, smaller towns are now turning to public-private partnerships to meet their legal obligations.

Candelaria’s Mayor, Mari Brito, and Urban Planning head, Reinaldo Triviño, have defended the 23,364-euro investment. They emphasize that the funds cover only the service's operating costs—with no profit margin—and are essential for speeding up approvals while maintaining technical standards. The twelve-month agreement, which can be renewed, is intended as a temporary fix to help the local government address the housing crisis and resume the timely processing of construction and renovation permits.