Tenerife’s Bajo La Cuesta Residents Remain in Limbo Amid Ongoing Eviction Crisis
Residents of Tenerife’s Bajo La Cuesta neighborhood remain in limbo as they struggle against government neglect and ongoing safety restrictions nearly a decade after eviction orders fractured their community.
The situation in the Bajo La Cuesta neighborhood of Candelaria, Tenerife, highlights the difficult balance between geological safety, government management, and the right to housing. As reported by El Día, this coastal community has been fractured for nearly a decade, ever since an eviction order—issued due to the risk of rockfalls from the highway above—forced most residents to leave.
While some families have returned following private hillside stabilization work, thirteen families still live in the accessible part of the neighborhood. However, a metal fence continues to divide the area, marking off the restricted zone. Instead of protecting the abandoned homes, this barrier has become a magnet for trespassing and vandalism due to a lack of security.
The conflict goes beyond just land stability. The remaining residents feel ignored by local authorities, pointing to the contrast between their neighborhood’s neglect and the investments made in nearby areas like Caletillas and Punta Larga. Many suspect that officials want the neighborhood to empty out, a feeling reinforced by the loss of essential services like banks and pharmacies that once supported the community.
Legally and socially, the residents of Bajo La Cuesta are in a difficult position. With their original neighborhood association fragmented and no clear plan from the government, they have been left to manage the area’s upkeep on their own. While the remaining families continue to push for a solution that would allow the restricted area to be rehabilitated and displaced neighbors to return, the community remains in limbo—determined to hold on despite the uncertainty.