La Orotava Council Unanimously Backs Holiday Rental Regulation
La Orotava City Council has unanimously approved a plan to regulate holiday rentals and backed a proposal to extend breast cancer screening to women aged 40-79.
The La Orotava City Council has unanimously approved a plan from the Asamblea por La Orotava group to regulate holiday rentals in the area. This means the council will study the impact of holiday homes and create local rules as quickly as possible, following the Holiday Housing Law passed by the Canary Islands Government on December 12.
Manolo Pacheco, who put forward the idea, pointed out that other towns have already started putting similar rules in place. He suggested that if La Orotava's ruling party (CC) had begun working when the proposal was first brought up in January 2024, much of the work would already be done, and they would only need to update their rules to fit the new law.
Ildefonso from the PP party agreed that the impact of holiday rentals needs to be studied using clear data. He stressed that rules can't be made without understanding La Orotava's unique situation, which differs from other towns, and this requires expert reports, public involvement, and legal soundness. However, he maintained that the current housing shortage can be solved by having more homes available, speeding up the approval of the General Urban Planning Plan (PGO), and making it easier to build new houses.
María Jesús Alonso from the PSOE party stressed that local councils must take this law and turn it into local rules that suit their town's specific features, based on the study's findings.
Tourism Councilor Delia Escobar explained the main points of the new law and how local authorities will use their powers. She noted that the regional Tourism Ministry will send councils a list of all registered holiday properties within two months. Councils then have eight months to start a control plan for all holiday homes in their area. She also made it clear that councils have up to five years to fully put the rules into practice, as La Orotava needs to inspect around 2,000 holiday beds before the new system is fully active.
In other news, the council also unanimously backed a proposal from the PSOE party. This motion was given 'institutional character' due to its significant social importance. It called for extending the age range for breast cancer screening, a disease that is the most common and deadly cancer among women globally.
Councilor Virginia Ramos, who proposed the idea, highlighted that Europe's cancer plan aims to lower cancer rates in member states through better prevention, detection, and treatment. To achieve this, the proposal suggests starting screenings at age 40 instead of the current 50, and continuing until age 79. This change is prompted by the growing number of younger women affected by the disease.
Recognizing its importance, Mayor Francisco Linares suggested sending the motion to the Spanish Federation of Municipalities, the Canarian Federation of Municipalities, and the Canarian Federation of Islands – key organizations representing local and island councils.