Adeje takes direct action on housing crisis
Adeje is aiming to become the driving force behind housing construction in Tenerife. That is the priority set by the municipal government led by José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, which is already working to kickstart a major urban development process to build a new ‘city’ district, alongside another residential plan in the same area: the town centre.
Plans are already being drafted for two blocks of subsidised housing (VPO) on two plots of land totalling 3,000 square metres. The Adeje town hall expects the two developments, which will be offered at affordable prices, to provide around 140 homes. The plots have been transferred to the Adeje Municipal Services Company (EMSA), an entity dependent on the town hall itself, dedicated to the comprehensive management of public services and urban maintenance in the municipality. The total cost of the operation exceeds €11 million.
A new approach to housebuilding
The unique aspect of this initiative is that the Adeje town hall itself is taking charge of the entire process, including construction. Town halls usually support housing policy by transferring land to administrations with greater financial capacity and technical resources, such as the island councils (cabildos) or the Canary Islands Government, allowing them to lead the design and execution of the work. Adeje, however, has decided to take direct responsibility for developing new homes for those hardest hit by the current housing crisis: people with the least financial resources.
Location and wider plans
The buildings will be constructed in the lower part of Adeje town centre, on plots very close to the Instituto de Los Olivos school and the neighbourhood of Las Nieves, an area of natural expansion for the municipality earmarked for the development of new residential spaces. Close by are other, much larger plots where the town hall has launched two partial plans considered strategic in its bid to increase housing supply. El Calvario and Adeje 2020 cover 142,441 square metres, an area equivalent to 30 football pitches. Both urban developments are located between the Casa Fuerte car park and the Tourist Development Centre. This is one of the most significant residential projects planned on Tenerife, with capacity for around 2,800 people, including a section designated for subsidised housing, and with no tourist beds included.
Timeline and long-term goal
The Adeje municipal government expects work to begin on the two Los Olivos buildings during the first half of next year. This action forms part of the Adeje Housing Plan, coordinated by the mayor’s office headed by José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga and developed alongside EMSA. The goal is to reach a total of 200 affordable homes over the next six years through further land transfers which are already under study.
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