Major regeneration for El Cardonal gets underway
The rehabilitation of the El Cardonal neighbourhood will cost more than €25 million, making it one of the largest residential investments in the Canary Islands. La Laguna City Council, through its municipal housing company Muvisa, has put out to tender the first phase, which will affect 438 homes spread across 49 blocks and will also see the renewal of public spaces in the area.
More than €20 million is allocated to the construction work itself, with the remainder covering the drafting and updating of projects and the citizen support office set up in the neighbourhood. The tender replaces the partial bidding process held in October 2025, which attracted no bidders and only covered a portion of the buildings. The new procedure encompasses the entire programme, with revised prices designed to reflect market conditions and attract contractors.
Structural repairs and energy efficiency
The works combine the refurbishment of the buildings with the regeneration of their surroundings. In the blocks themselves, works will include structural interventions, energy efficiency improvements, renewal of installations, waterproofing of roofs and replacement of joinery. Asbestos-containing materials will also be removed, and accessibility solutions will be incorporated. At the same time, public areas across the estate will be renovated to improve safety and everyday use of a development built between the 1960s and 1970s.
El Cardonal comprises 164 blocks and more than 1,500 private homes. In recent years, Muvisa has carried out work on over 60 buildings through earlier programmes, as well as commissioning structural studies and accessibility improvements. The phase now being tendered is the most ambitious operation ever undertaken in the neighbourhood, both in scope and investment.
Who is paying for the €25 million project?
The funding comes almost entirely from public resources. The City Council will contribute nearly €13 million, more than half the budget; Next Generation EU funds maintain a contribution of €10.9 million; and the Cabildo of Tenerife adds a further €1 million. The combined contribution from homeowners is set at €173,632, barely 0.69% of the cost for the 438 homes, and will not rise despite the price revision. The Council is absorbing the nearly €4 million needed to cover the increase in costs. As a result, no homeowner will face the additional expense, and vulnerable families may receive up to 100% coverage of the share corresponding to them.
The state programme allows between 40% and 80% of the works to be subsidised, with support rising to the full amount in cases of economic vulnerability. The rehabilitation office will remain open to inform residents’ communities, process documentation and offer personalised follow-up. Its role will be key in coordinating the 49 blocks, work in shared areas, technical projects and relations between administrations, companies and residents.
Political and technical backing
The Mayor, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, says the tender “marks a turning point” and represents an “historic investment” capable of transforming an emblematic neighbourhood and improving the lives of hundreds of families. He adds that the municipality is the main funder to prevent the modernisation from falling on homeowners. The Housing Councillor, Adolfo Cordobés, maintains that revising the prices was essential to guarantee the viability of the project and avoid another failed bidding round. He stresses that residents will not bear any additional costs and that assistance may cover the entire contribution for vulnerable households.
The manager of Muvisa, Emilio Fariña, highlights the technical and operational complexity of a project that brings together structural rehabilitation, energy, accessibility, asbestos removal and urban regeneration. He maintains that the new figures were calculated using official bases and real costs, and assures that the neighbourhood office will maintain its service to residents throughout the execution of the works.
Timeline and next steps
The project is divided into five lots to make it easier for companies with the requisite technical solvency to take part. Work is expected to begin before the end of this year, with execution and justification to be completed within the extended deadlines of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. The exceptional extension allowed costs to be updated and the contracting process to be reorganised.
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