Santa Cruz de Tenerife Opens Public Consultation to Redefine Coastal Boundaries

The reorganization of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife coastline has reached a critical stage. According to the Official Gazette of the Province, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition has opened a public consultation process to adjust the maritime-terrestrial boundary along a 1,906-meter stretch between the Barranco de los Moriscos and the North Breakwater. The Directorate General for the Coast is leading this effort to update the original 15,496-meter protection zone, removing plots of land that are no longer part of the public port domain.

This move is necessary to align official maps with declassifications made by the Ministry of Public Works in November 2018. These changes affect key areas near the Maritime Park, Tahodio, and the Link Dock, where major infrastructure projects—such as the undergrounding of the coastal and port service roads—have already been completed. Technical reports from 2014 to 2017 confirmed that these areas have lost their original natural characteristics, meaning they no longer qualify for protection as public maritime-terrestrial land.

This process is vital for providing legal clarity to the city’s urban planning. By formally requesting this change on April 30, 2026, the Peripheral Coastal Service aims to ensure that land regulations match the current physical layout of the city. Under the new guidelines, urban land will have a 20-meter protection strip, while undeveloped or non-developable land will remain subject to a 100-meter restriction.

The public consultation period allows interested parties to submit feedback before the new boundaries are finalized. Clarifying the line between state and private property is essential for managing this high-traffic area, ensuring that coastal regulations reflect the infrastructure already built along the city’s waterfront.