Puerto de la Cruz City Council Takes Over Stalled Urban Planning Project from Consortium
The Puerto de la Cruz City Council has taken over a stalled private housing project from the local Rehabilitation Consortium in a historic move to bypass administrative gridlock and accelerate urban development.
Urban planning in Puerto de la Cruz is shifting as the Consortium for the Rehabilitation of the tourist city delegates a specific project to the local City Council. As reported by El Día, this is a historic move; it is the first time the Consortium has asked the municipality to help unblock a stalled private housing project.
The Sustainable City department, led by David Hernández, has officially taken over the management of an urban planning agreement—a tool used for public-private collaboration in land development. The measure was approved by the municipal plenary session, with the Socialist group abstaining. According to municipal sources, the move is a necessary step to clear a backlog of old files that the Consortium has been unable to process. Hernández emphasized that this is a temporary, exceptional measure driven by the urgent need for housing and the Consortium’s current inability to handle the workload.
This decision highlights the ongoing challenges the Consortium has faced since its inception in 2010. Originally backed by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, the regional government, the Cabildo of Tenerife, and the City Council, the organization has struggled with administrative hurdles, including the Ministry’s withdrawal in 2016 and various inter-agency disputes. Under its current management, the Consortium has found it difficult to fulfill its goal of improving the city’s infrastructure and tourism competitiveness.
The City Council views this handover as a way to reclaim local control over urban planning. Local officials argue that municipal experts should oversee planning licenses to ensure consistent development, pointing to the successful handling of permits for the Taoro and San Telmo hotels as proof. While the Council insists it has enough staff to manage this case, Hernández was clear that this is a pragmatic collaboration to prevent administrative gridlock, not an institutional bailout.
The project will now follow standard municipal processing timelines. While the City Council expects to move faster than the Consortium, the file must still meet all legal requirements and follow the technical procedures mandated by urban planning regulations.