Santa Úrsula Moves to Resolve Two-Decade Urban Planning Deadlock
Santa Úrsula has initiated a partial update of its planning regulations to resolve two decades of administrative gridlock and align local land-use policies with regional legal standards.
After two decades of legal uncertainty, Santa Úrsula is finally moving toward a resolution for its urban development issues. The town council has hired the public firm Gesplan to draft a partial update to its planning regulations. This move aims to fix a long-standing problem: the town has been operating under two conflicting sets of rules—the subsidiary norms and the 2004 General Plan adaptation.
This overlap has caused administrative gridlock, making it difficult to manage land use, building permits, and zoning. Experts have noted that the current growth model has led to disconnected neighborhoods and a lack of essential services, sanitation, and proper transport links.
Updating these rules is also a legal requirement. Five years ago, the Canary Islands introduced a new Land and Protected Natural Spaces Law, forcing municipalities to bring their local plans in line with regional standards. Rather than drafting an entirely new General Plan, which would be too costly and time-consuming, the council has chosen a more targeted, partial modification.
The project covers 933 hectares but specifically excludes protected areas—such as the Las Palomas Special Natural Reserve and the Las Lagunetas and Costa de Acentejo landscapes—as well as protected forest land. The goal is to create a smoother transition between urban and rural areas, addressing the issues caused by abandoned farmland and fragmented landscapes that have made land management difficult.
The plan is now open for public consultation on the municipal website for one month. This initial phase allows residents to share their views before the project moves to the formal public information stage, where interested parties can submit official comments. With this step, Santa Úrsula hopes to resolve the regulatory confusion that has hindered its growth and infrastructure for years.