senate debate canary islands housing plan 44000 homes

Senate to Debate Plan for 44,000 New Homes in Canaries

Senate to Debate Ambitious Housing Plan for Canary Islands

The Spanish Senate will debate and vote on a key initiative this Tuesday to push for a specific state-led plan for public and affordable housing in the Canary Islands. This would run parallel to measures already being adopted by the regional government. The motion, spearheaded by Fabián Chinea, a senator from the Gomera Socialist Group (ASG), aims to tackle the “asphyxiating” housing crisis gripping both the Canary and Balearic archipelagos.

A Call for 44,000 New Homes in the Canaries

Senator Chinea will defend the proposal in the Senate’s General Committee for Autonomous Communities. The initiative, developed jointly with Juanjo Ferrer, the senator for Ibiza and Formentera, demands that the Spanish government launch an extraordinary programme. This would include promoting 44,000 new public homes in the Canary Islands and 30,000 in the Balearic Islands to rebalance a currently broken market. Chinea stresses that the reality of the islands cannot be addressed with the same solutions used on the mainland.

“Ultimately, we believe it is up to the Government of Spain to set the course and the criteria, while of course respecting our island and territorial identity,” explained the senator. “The solutions applied to the Canary or Balearic Islands cannot be the same as those applied on the peninsula.”

The Scale of the Crisis

The motion’s explanatory statement warns of a critical situation. In February 2026, the archipelagos led the country in rising housing costs, with year-on-year increases close to 22%. Prices have now surpassed those of the 2007 property bubble by 20%. For the Canary Islands, the structural deficit is estimated at 44,000 homes needed to stabilise prices and guarantee access for residents.

For Fabián Chinea, it is vital that the problem does not fade from the political spotlight. “It must not wane, it must remain present and generate noise and movement, because what is not named, unfortunately, does not exist or is not seen,” he stated.

Key Points of the Motion

The motion to be debated tomorrow outlines seven key points to transform housing policy in the islands. It calls for a specific plan coordinated between the State and the two archipelagos, tailored to their demographic and economic reality. The core demands include:

  • An extraordinary public housing programme to cover the deficit of 44,000 homes in the Canaries and 30,000 in the Balearics.
  • Mobilising empty homes through tax incentives and guarantees for owners in the rental market.
  • Strengthening cooperation with autonomous communities and town councils to streamline planning and administrative procedures for protected housing or affordable rental projects.
  • Designing measures to give priority access to housing for young people, families, and local essential workers, while regulating external demand. This includes analysing legal instruments to protect the local population in areas of strong foreign property pressure.
  • Promoting the refurbishment of existing housing stock to avoid consuming more land.

Political Hurdles and Hopes

Chinea has formally requested that, given the notoriety and seriousness of the issue, if the initiative is approved in committee tomorrow, it should be sent directly to the Senate Plenary for a second debate. However, the success of the proposal now depends on the Popular Party (PP), which holds an absolute majority in the Upper House and are governing partners in the Canary Islands coalition with the Canarian Coalition (CC), ASG, and AHI.

“Our PP colleagues in the Canaries know the problems we have on the islands, and we hope they will support our proposal,” said Chinea. The motion is non-binding, but the senator emphasises the importance of “Madrid listening”. With this proposal, they aim to “continue raising our voice so that the State pays attention to the unique nature of our land.”

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