The San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council has published, through the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, the Strategic Environmental Declaration corresponding to the Partial Plan for Sector 13, El Tablero. This is a fundamental step toward the final approval of urban development in this area of the municipality. The Environmental Assessment Commission adopted the agreement on July 7, 2025, in which the Strategic Environmental Declaration was formulated following a thorough technical analysis included as an annex. The document seeks to ensure that the implementation of the Partial Plan meets sustainability criteria and minimizes environmental, social, and landscape impacts. The Secretary of the Environmental Authority, Antonio Calvo Hernández, signed the declaration on September 25, 2025, thus completing a process of more than three years of administrative processing, consultations, and technical review that reinforces the sustainability and environmental integration of urban development in El Tablero.
The plan seeks to expand the existing development in El Tablero, organizing and completing the neighborhoods toward a northwesterly orientation. The proposal includes the creation of support facilities for the resident population and the qualitative improvement of the surrounding area, with low-density housing and integrated green spaces. During the environmental assessment process, nine public administrations were consulted, including the Ministry of Defense, the General Subdirectorate of Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, and various ministries of the Canary Islands Government. Among the reports received, the following aspects stand out:
The impact of aeronautical easements on the Gando Air Base, which requires requesting favorable reports before any construction of significant height. The correct delimitation of the area of influence of the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain, to ensure compatibility with coastal regulations. The incorporation of landscape and environmental measures into the development, such as adapting the layout of plots to the winding line of ravines and selecting suitable tree species.
The Strategic Environmental Study, which accompanies the Partial Plan, concludes that the planned actions will not generate significant environmental impacts, given that the area is currently anthropized and degraded by agricultural abandonment and the presence of debris and waste. The preventive and corrective measures contemplated include environmental monitoring programs, integration of native vegetation, and mitigation of light and visual pollution, with special attention to the edges of ravines.
Once the document is published, the Partial Plan for Sector 13, El Tablero, can move toward final approval, incorporating the necessary environmental recommendations and sector reports. The Strategic Environmental Declaration will not be subject to appeal, although interested parties may challenge the final approval of the plan in accordance with current regulations.
