– The first vice president of the Cabildo, Adasat Reyes, values the regulatory update and demands coordination between administrations and margin to address the reality of each island – He warns, in the General Commission of Island Councils of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, that agility in processing must be accompanied by sufficient human and technical resources
The first vice president and counselor of Internal Regime and Insular Heritage of the Cabildo of La Gomera, Adasat Reyes, has conveyed this Thursday a positive assessment of the bills to update the Land and Sustainable Mobility Law of the Canary Islands, debated in the General Commission of Island Councils of the Parliament of the Canary Islands. The Corporation considers it necessary to review both regulatory frameworks, although it emphasizes that their application must respect the island's singularities and provide the councils with adequate means.
In relation to the update of Law 4/2017, of July 13, on Land and Protected Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands, Reyes defended that territorial planning must make the protection of natural resources and the conservation of spaces compatible with the development of infrastructure, economic activity, housing needs and the maintenance of the population in the municipalities.
“Territorial planning must guarantee the protection of our spaces, our natural resources,” said Reyes. He added that it must also offer effective instruments to develop infrastructure, promote economic activities, meet housing needs and maintain the population of the municipalities.
The Gomero representative valued the measures aimed at giving clarity to the planning instruments, reducing the complexity of their processing and facilitating the management of rural settlements, the recovery of traditional buildings and the compatibility of certain agricultural uses. He warned, however, that planning loses effectiveness when it takes so many years to be approved that its forecasts become outdated.
As explained, the reform maintains relevant powers of the councils. Articles 76 and 79 regulate their intervention in actions on rural land; Article 80 assigns them authorizations linked to sporting events in protected natural spaces, motorized tests and the official network for motor vehicles in rural areas. Articles 102 and 103 maintain the preparation and approval of island management plans in the island corporations, while article 116 contemplates responsibilities for certain spaces of the Natura 2000 Network.
Regarding article 117, which allows the regional government to assume by substitution the preparation of certain instruments in the event of inaction or unjustified delay of a council, after a three-month requirement, Reyes requested that objective criteria be applied and collaboration and technical support be prioritized. “The councils are not secondary actors in this reform, but essential administrations for its correct application,” he stated.
Regarding the draft Law on Sustainable Mobility of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo shares the need to update the regulatory framework and plan mobility from a perspective that includes accessibility, territorial cohesion, sustainability and the real time that citizens spend accessing essential services.
“We cannot talk about mobility thinking exclusively about roads or transportation services,” said Reyes. The proposal attributes to the councils the development and approval of island plans for sustainable mobility, coordinated with regional and municipal planning. The island vice president asked that these plans retain sufficient margin for each island to organize its mobility and that its relationship with territorial planning be specified, avoiding contradictions, duplicities and implementation difficulties.
Reyes concluded by pointing out that both projects can contribute to improving planning and responding to island needs, as long as coordination between administrations translates into clear procedures and sufficient capacities, especially in territories with lower administrative capacity.
