The renovation of the Santa Águeda urbanisation in El Pajar will be completed in October

The rehabilitation of the Santa Águeda housing development in El Pajar is now 83% complete and is scheduled for completion next October. The project, part of the Urban Regeneration and Renewal Areas (ARRU) program, represents an investment of €1.486.391 and will improve the accessibility, safety, and living conditions of 66 homes built in the early 80s.

 

Representatives from the various administrations involved in financing the project visited the construction site on Monday to inspect its progress. Those participating included the Deputy Government Delegate in Las Palmas, María Teresa Mayans; the Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Mobility of the Canary Islands Government, Pablo Rodríguez; the Minister of Public Works, Infrastructure, Architecture, and Housing of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Augusto Hidalgo; the Mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Marco Aurelio Pérez; and the First Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Housing, Alejandro Marichal.

 

The project is jointly funded by the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, the Government of the Canary Islands, the Housing Consortium of the Gran Canaria Island Council and the residents themselves.

 

During the tour, María Teresa Ascanio, an architect with the municipal company Gesvisur, explained that the project focused primarily on renovating facilities, improving accessibility, and structurally rehabilitating the buildings. She detailed that the development, built in 1982, had outdated electrical installations, significant accumulated maintenance issues, and accessibility problems for many residents.

 

Among the actions carried out, the complete renovation of the electrical installation stands out, as well as the rehabilitation of pillars and other structural elements affected by the oxidation processes resulting from the proximity to the sea, and the installation of elevators that will improve accessibility to the homes, especially for elderly people or those with reduced mobility.

 

In addition, work is being carried out in the common areas, walkways and gardens of the residential complex with the aim of regenerating the urban environment and adapting it to the current needs of the residents.

 

The architect explained that the project began in January 2025 and was initially scheduled to take 18 months. However, the structural rehabilitation work has proven more complex than anticipated due to widespread deterioration in the pillars and sanitary slabs, which has necessitated extending certain phases of the project. Added to this are the processing times related to the electrical work required by Endesa.

 

Despite this, the economic increase in the project remains below the 10% allowed in the contract and the work continues within the two deadlines provided by the subsidy, so completion is scheduled for October.

 

 

 

A municipal strategy to rehabilitate the residential park

 

The first deputy mayor of San Bartolomé Tirajana, Alejandro Marichal, highlighted that this action is part of the strategy promoted by the City Council to rehabilitate the existing residential park in the municipality.

 

“When we began this legislative term, the Housing Department set us ambitious goals regarding housing, one of which was to invest in the rehabilitation of existing housing stock,” he stated. Marichal emphasized that “more than 16 million euros have already been allocated to work on 716 homes, improving the quality of life for 2.079 residents of the municipality. In this way, we will give a significant boost to many housing developments in our municipality, improving accessibility and energy efficiency,” he noted.

 

The Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Mobility of the Canary Islands Government, Pablo Rodríguez, stated that “housing has been a priority for this Government since the beginning of the legislature. We have allocated resources, activated instruments, and mobilized all available tools to expand the housing supply but also to improve the conditions of the existing housing stock. The project we are visiting today demonstrates that rehabilitation is essential because it allows us to improve homes, enhance the quality of life for families, and guarantee better living conditions for those residing in public housing.”

 

“Rehabilitation will continue to play a central role in public housing policies. This is reflected in the new State Housing Plan and will also be the focus of the future Canary Islands Housing Plan. Thanks to collaboration between administrations and the involvement of local residents, we are promoting initiatives that already reach more than 6.000 homes across seven islands. This represents a firm commitment to preserving, modernizing, and increasing the value of our housing stock to better meet the needs of our citizens,” he added.

 

For his part, Augusto Hidalgo highlighted the contribution of the Gran Canaria Island Council to this action, which amounts to about 360.000 euros. He recalled that the island institution is currently participating in residential rehabilitation projects in San Bartolomé Tirajana, valued at 3,3 million euros, which benefit more than 700 homes.

 

The Deputy Government Delegate in Las Palmas, María Teresa Mayans, emphasized the importance of coordination between administrations to improve living conditions for residents, noting that housing is one of the Government's top priorities. Spain plans to mobilize 7.000 billion euros through the upcoming State Housing Plan 2026-2030.

 

Finally, the mayor of San Bartolomé Tirajana, Marco Aurelio Pérez, highlighted the importance of institutional collaboration and the involvement of property owners in renovating buildings that had accumulated decades of deterioration, adapting them to current standards of accessibility, sustainability, and safety.