Alejandro Marichal: “We have worked quickly because it is a key project to revitalize the tourism sector, economic activity, employment and attracting visitors.”
Davinia Ramírez: “We are responding to the technical observations so that the document is aligned with the current municipal planning before the next step.”
The Department of Urban Planning has submitted to the Government of the Canary Islands the municipal response requested within the environmental assessment process for the Modernization, Improvement, and Competitiveness Enhancement Plan (PMM) for El Veril, which includes the planned development of Siam Park and other associated projects. With this submission, the City Council fulfills the requirements for this environmental phase and allows the process to continue within the established timeframe.
In this response, the City Council analyzes the document's compliance with municipal planning regulations and current legislation, and addresses the technical observations made during the environmental review process. The municipal report aims to clarify urban planning aspects necessary to ensure the Plan's coherence and provide it with legal certainty before it proceeds to the next phases.
The strategic environmental assessment is being promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands, which is the competent authority for issuing the Strategic Environmental Statement. The City Council's role is to comment on the initiative from an urban planning perspective, indicating any issues that need clarification to ensure the document complies with the planning regulations and applicable legislation.
The Modernization, Improvement and Competitiveness Enhancement Plan for El Veril is the instrument that dictates how this tourist area can be developed, establishing the uses, conditions and implementation criteria for the planned actions, with the aim of organizing the growth of the area and improving the existing tourist offer.
This file has undergone a preliminary process. In November 2022, the Government of the Canary Islands requested the City Council's approval of the Plan initiative, prepared by the public company Gesplan. This approval was granted by the relevant municipal department in December of that same year. Subsequently, in February 2023, the regional government agreed to expedite the drafting and processing of the Plan, and in June 2024, the City Council adopted the necessary resolution to continue advancing the procedure.
The First Deputy Mayor, Alejandro Marichal, points out that “the council has worked with agility and rigor on this report because Siam Park has been envisioned as a key element for revitalizing the tourism offerings of Maspalomas–Playa del Inglés, generating local economic activity, employment, and attracting visitors. Our goal is for the process to move forward without unnecessary delays, always with legal certainty.”
For her part, the Councillor for Urban Planning, Davinia Ramírez, explains that “with this response we are addressing the technical observations raised and forwarding them to the Government of the Canary Islands so that the document is aligned with the current municipal planning before continuing its processing.”
In its report, the City Council points out the need for the Plan to clearly define what can be built and under what conditions, since the current municipal planning establishes the recreational use of the area but does not develop all the necessary parameters for a project of this scale. It also indicates that any adjustments to surface areas or boundaries must be duly justified and that the documentation submitted must be consistent in all its elements.
Likewise, the municipal report points out that the planned open spaces and facilities must be clearly defined and have real public access, guaranteeing their proper integration into the environment and their effective use by citizens.
With the submission of this municipal response, the environmental review process for the El Veril Master Plan continues according to the deadlines set by the Government of the Canary Islands. The Department of Urban Planning will continue to participate in the subsequent phases of the process to ensure that the project is analyzed with clarity, technical rigor, and legal certainty before any final decision is made.
