David Alberto: “Antigua Has Only 10 Protected Homes, Built 35 Years Ago”

The housing emergency and the unlocking of strategic projects are the main challenges facing Antigua’s Urban Planning councilor, David Alberto. In an interview on the program La Voz de Fuerteventura Radio Insular, he gave a stark diagnosis of the municipality’s “critical” protected‑housing situation, noting that Antigua has only 10 VPO (officially protected homes) in the entire municipality, all built in 1989‑1990, 35 years ago.

Housing and Urban Planning Initiatives

Alberto explained that his department is working on two specific amendments to the General Urban Plan to allocate parcels for public housing both in Antigua town and in Valles de Ortega. The goal, he said, is for the Canary Islands Housing Institute (ICAVI) to start building new protected housing in Antigua.

He also announced the recovery of a long‑abandoned project that had been idle for more than 15 years. In the third phase of El Castillo, the construction licence for 121 residential units has been reactivated. “The project already had a development title, and the licence is now back on track,” he emphasized, calling it “good news” because it revitalises a neglected area and adds 121 new homes to the zone.

Social Infrastructure

The land‑policy agenda is not limited to housing. The council has also begun procedures to provide social infrastructure for the municipality:

• Day Center – The original site at the former Municipal Market could not be used because it did not meet minimum requirements. The new proposal places the center in front of the Antigua Health Center, which will require a amendment to re‑zone the parcel as a social‑health facility. The project envisions about 30 daytime places for seniors and dependent persons.
• Children’s playground – To accommodate the Day Center, the planned playground will be moved to the current skate‑park area, where it will become the new Antigua Children’s Park, with a modest conversion to a green or service zone.

“Yes” to the El Castillo Clinic, Aiming for a Future Health Center

In the health sector, the council has unlocked land for the El Castillo clinic, with the long‑term aim of turning it into a full health center.

“We can’t say ‘no, we don’t want it.’ We have to say ‘yes, we want it’ and fight for that clinic to become a health center with more services,” Alberto asserted.

Major Projects in the Pipeline

• Antigua Sports City – The project, halted after flaws were found in the original design, has a budget exceeding €7 million. A new tender will be launched. “It started in the previous legislature; we began earthworks, but some units were not accounted for. We decided to stop, reassess, and modify the project,” he explained.
• Clean‑point in the Costa Antigua industrial zone – Land has been ceded for this waste‑collection facility, now approved by the Cabildo. “We need to unlock municipal land and hand it over to administrations that invest in the municipality,” he said.
• Reception of urbanizations and industrial parks –
  • Sector 9, Las Salinas – Currently in litigation over a parcel cession. The municipality received a €700,000 guarantee, which has funded the completion of electrical works.
  • Sector 7, Costa Antigua industrial park – Works are near completion and will be one of the first areas to be formally received.
  • Third phase of El Castillo – Also highlighted as a priority.

Alberto stressed that these are strategic, not merely media‑friendly, areas for Antigua’s future.

“I know I won’t be cutting any ribbons this term, but we are laying the first foundations so that in the next legislature all these infrastructures will bear fruit,” he concluded.

Political Context

During the interview, Alberto also touched on the political tension in Antigua surrounding the installation of a mobile‑phone antenna just metres from residential buildings, a controversy detailed in a separate article by La Voz de Fuerteventura.