Legal Battle Intensifies Over Tree Removal at La Salud’s San Gerardo Square
The La Salud neighborhood association is seeking an urgent court injunction to halt construction at San Gerardo Square, challenging the city's plan to remove trees for expanded parking.
The battle over urban redevelopment in the La Salud neighborhood has reached a critical legal stage. Despite a legal challenge from the neighborhood association "Los Árboles Hablan," construction work near San Gerardo Square—which involves the removal of roughly twenty trees—is still moving forward.
The conflict highlights two very different views on how public space should be managed. Javier Rivero, the municipal head of Public Works, insists the project must continue. He argues that the work fulfills a prior agreement with local representatives to increase parking capacity and maintains that the City Council is following all necessary regulations, including those regarding urban greenery.
Conversely, the neighborhood group, led by Carmen de la Rosa, has asked the courts to issue an urgent injunction to stop the work immediately. They argue that the project violates regional laws designed to protect trees. Tensions rose further after the recent removal of a false pepper tree, leading the group to formally call on Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez to halt the machinery.
This situation reflects a growing tension in Canary Island capitals: how to balance the need for better infrastructure with the desire to preserve local greenery. The outcome of this dispute will decide the future of San Gerardo Square and could set a significant precedent for whether neighborhood agreements should take priority over environmental protection laws. For now, the local administration is continuing with its plans while the courts decide on the legality of the tree removals.