Final Push for Pájara's General Plan as Its Backers Step Aside

The visit of regional minister Manuel Miranda has sparked protests in Pájara over the General Plan, which is slated to approve its strategic environmental declaration in the first quarter of the year. The groups that originally pushed the plan claim they were excluded from the latest meeting (the mayor was also absent), while the governing coalition insists that the commissions are regular and that the opposition has been fully informed.

The decisive phase of the General Urban Planning Plan (PGO)

The General Urban Planning Plan (PGO) for Pájara – the document that will replace the current urban regulations dating back to 1989 – has entered its final stage, with a definitive approval expected during 2026. The progress has ignited a confrontation between the governing coalition (PSOE + CC) and the opposition bloc (AMF, Juntos por Pájara, NC and PP) in the municipal council of the southern part of Fuerteventura.

Green light for the Strategic Environmental Declaration

The political flashpoint was a technical meeting held this week at the town hall, attended by:

• Manuel Miranda, Regional Minister of Territorial Policy (Government of the Canary Islands)
• Onán Cruz, Director‑General of Territory Planning and Cohesion
• Alexis Alonso, Municipal Councillor for Urban Planning
• Municipal technical staff and members of the drafting team

“The purpose of the meeting was to finalize the details for the Strategic Environmental Declaration (SED),” the officials confirmed in a joint statement.

Minister Miranda announced that the SED – a prerequisite for the continuation of the PGO – will be issued during the first quarter of 2026. Once the environmental annotations are incorporated and the required reports are obtained, the council will be able to approve the final document.

Miranda also highlighted that Pájara leads the municipalities of Fuerteventura in terms of updating its urban planning framework, noting that the Canary Islands Government has contributed €113,242 to the drafting process. Councillor Alonso described the advances as essential for providing the municipality with “legal certainty” and enabling an “ordered development.”

Opposition protests over “opacity” and exclusion

Following the announcement of the minister’s visit, the opposition parties released a joint communiqué denouncing a “opaque and exclusionary management.” The groups AMF, Juntos por Pájara, NC and PP complained that the meeting with Miranda was organized “without prior information or invitation” to the rest of the council.

“The consensus reached by the previous mandate has been broken; the current government has only convened four or five commissions on the PGO in two and a half years,” the statement read.

Curiously, Mayor Alejandro Jorge, who publicly praised the meeting’s progress, was not present (or at least does not appear in the released images). The opposition argues that the mayor’s handling amounts to “propaganda” and demands the urgent convening of monitoring bodies, insisting that a document of this magnitude cannot be managed “behind the backs of the council.”

Governing coalition refutes the accusations

The governing coalition (PSOE + Coalición Canaria) responded the same day, labeling the opposition’s claims as “false” and attributing them to a “misguided and irresponsible strategy.”

“The opposition has the same information as the governing councillors,” the coalition’s statement asserted, emphasizing that the drafting team is available to all parties.

Regarding the frequency of commissions, the government explained that commissions are called only when new documentation is ready for debate and invited the opposition to take the matter to the courts if they believe any illegality exists. Their overarching goal, they reiterated, remains the approval of a forward‑looking plan for the municipality.

Shifting roles after a turbulent legislature

A quick look back at the 2019‑2023 legislature – marked by political instability in Pájara due to successive ruptures and changes of mayor – shows that urban planning was not always the flashpoint.

• 2019: Miguel Ángel Graffigna (CC) became mayor but resigned a few months later amid a threatened motion of no confidence.
• Pedro Armas (AMF) succeeded him, initially governing with PSOE, later dismissing the socialists in 2021 and completing the term with support from CC, PP and Nueva Canarias.

The initial approval of the PGO occurred in May 2023, when the council voted in favor of the plan with the backing of AMF (Pedro Armas), CC, PP and NC. At that time, PSOE was in opposition and did not support the document.

Later, in September 2023, the council approved a Minor Modification B to the PGO, facilitating urban and housing development in already consolidated nuclei. All parties supported this amendment after the elections.

In the current 2023‑2027 legislature, the PSOE now shares the mayoralty with CC and champions the same General Plan it once rejected three years ago. Conversely, AMF, PP and NC – the very groups that originally drove the plan’s approval – are now accusing the administration of “obscurantism” and lack of participation in finalizing a document they themselves initiated.

Key figures

• Strategic Environmental Declaration (SED): Expected Q1 2026
• Regional funding for drafting: €113,242
• Number of commissions called (according to opposition): 4‑5 in 2.5 years

The article was prepared by the editorial team of Fuerteventura Digital.