Santa Cruz Mayor Renews Push to Demolish Abandoned Añaza Tower

The Añaza urban complex, a concrete eyesore in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, has long been a symbol of bureaucratic gridlock and public danger. Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez has once again placed the demolition of the 22-story structure at the top of the municipal agenda, calling it an unavoidable priority—though one hampered by decades of red tape.

The primary hurdle is the building’s legal status. Because it is private property, the City Council must complete a compulsory expropriation process. This requires notifying over 400 individual owners, many of whom live abroad. The council must officially register the property in its name before it can legally charge the owners for the estimated three-million-euro demolition cost. Tracking down these international owners remains the main bottleneck preventing the project from moving forward.

Beyond the legal complexities, the building poses a serious safety risk. It has been the site of several fatal accidents, and despite repeated efforts to secure the area, the fencing is frequently breached. The local government has now launched an emergency 112,000-euro operation to remove access ramps and reinforce the perimeter. While these measures will continue until October, the mayor admits they are only a temporary fix until the building can be fully demolished.

The structure dates back to 1973, when it was originally planned as a hotel. The project stalled just a year later after the German developer went bankrupt, leaving behind an unfinished skeleton that has blighted the coastline for 50 years. The case highlights the ongoing struggle local governments face when trying to balance private property rights with the urgent need to protect the public and restore the coastal environment.