David de Vera: Final ruling orders Marlape demolition within three months
The Puerto del Rosario City Council has received the final resolution of the file that orders the demolition of the Marlape complex in Playa Blanca, after years of unanswered requests to Sareb, the landowner. Mayor David de Vera reiterated in an interview on the program La Voz de Fuerteventura on Radio Insular that the corporation has exhausted all avenues of dialogue and cooperation without receiving a response, “and there is no turning back now.”
“As of today we have a demolition resolution on the table that gives Sare B until December of this year to tear down the structure; the license expiry and demolition order are firm, and coercive fines will begin.”
— David de Vera
Vera explained that if the demolition deadline passes without action, the file provides for €3,000 monthly fines for ten months.
He added that the City Council has been “the most resolute in restoring legality and fulfilling the responsibilities it has as the property owner,” stressing the lack of cooperation from Sareb, which is majority‑state owned (51 %).
The Marlape urbanisation, built more than a decade ago on unconsolidated urban land, is now abandoned, suffering from sanitation problems, uncontrolled waste spills, and structural risk.
Neighbourhood residents have also lodged numerous complaints about altercations, noise, and thefts linked to people occupying the houses. Social Services have confirmed that most of the occupants are families who do not fit typical vulnerability profiles.
If the demolition deadline expires without compliance, Vera warned that “the executive route will be taken to collect those sanctions, and we will have to move to other actions by the corporation and also by the State,” referring to other issues such as the El Charco thermal plant and the “Tierras Raras” project “to defend the Council’s rights.”
The mayor acknowledged that throughout the legislative term the Council has tried to avoid this drastic measure, but “there is no room for maneuver any longer; we cannot go back.”
Construction Begins on the First 22 Homes of a 75‑Unit Project in Rosa Vila
Vera clarified that the Council maintains active communication with Sareb on other municipal matters. In Rosa Vila, “there is movement to restore the urban planning side,” with services and businesses reactivated, and Sareb showing “interest in reaching agreements with investors to reverse the current situation of the occupied buildings.”
He announced that this Wednesday work started on building 22 homes out of a total of 75 planned by the company Sumiranca.
He also reminded that 75 social‑housing units have already been provisionally allocated by the Canary Islands Government in the urban area and in El Matorral.
According to the mayor, the Council is beginning “to see the light” of the work carried out during this term, “unlocking projects, administrative authorisations, and advancing partial plans,” including the R9, R7, R1, and R2 initiatives.
The reinforcement of the technical office has been crucial. All vacancies have been covered: “we have an architect covering overtime and have added another lawyer to keep the office running within the permanent staff structure of the Council.”
In this way, the Council is moving toward building roughly a thousand homes slated for this legislative period, aiming to partly alleviate the acute housing shortage in Fuerteventura.