San Miguel de Abona Balances Growth with Sustainable Development

San Miguel de Abona, a town in Tenerife, has seen a lot of growth recently. This means it needs to manage its building projects carefully and make sure public services are good. Mayor Arturo González (from the Coalición Canaria party) recently spoke about the town's plans. He said that the Canary Islands Government approving the new General Plan is key to controlling urban development.

The mayor is worried about illegal buildings and too much construction on rural land, stressing the importance of protecting nature. Around a thousand new people move to the town each year. However, the local government isn't aiming for endless growth. Instead, they want San Miguel de Abona to remain a "quiet town" and avoid becoming too crowded. For tourism, the new plan doesn't allow for more land to be used, more hotel rooms, or new housing. The goal is sustainable development, using only what's currently available.

To meet the needs of its growing population, a new high school is planned for Las Chafiras. This will help ease overcrowding in the current schools. For sports, work has been approved for the Llano del Camello complex. This complex will feature a town swimming pool, an indoor track, a multi-purpose hall, and an athletics track. The mayor sees this as a major achievement for the town.

Road improvements in Las Chafiras are almost finished; only the roundabout lights need to be turned on. However, work will continue to better connect these roundabouts to the rest of the town, especially since 70,000 vehicles use these roads daily. In Guargacho, sanitation work is underway, funded by 4.5 million euros from the Canary Islands Government and European funds. The mayor admitted that residents have faced problems like water cuts. These projects aim to upgrade the wastewater, sewage, and drinking water systems, fix sidewalks, and put electrical and phone lines underground. Ángel Guimerá street should be finished in February, with other roads completed later in the year, including extensions to areas like Chafiras Baja.

Making sure there's enough water is another key goal. Work is progressing on pumping water from Las Chafiras to Las Zocas, which is vital for supplying the entire coast. Also, a new 5,000 cubic meter water tank has started construction in Las Zocas. Looking ahead to 2025, the mayor pointed to these water projects, the new high school, the Llano del Camello sports complex, and buying Juan Bethencourt's house as major achievements. For 2026, the main focus is a senior citizens' residence. The town council will look at other options if the relevant authorities don't speed up this project.