El Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria abre la puerta a la construcción de 1.812 nuevos pisos de alquiler asequible

The City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has approved the use of municipal public land to build 1,812 affordable rental apartments. The decision follows the council’s June 2026 rezoning of eleven municipal plots, aiming to increase the supply of protected housing in the city. The project is part of a broader municipal commitment to address the demand for affordable homes, with the council estimating a need for over 4,500 families.

The newly designated parcels are spread across six districts: La Minilla (26 units), Casablanca III (197 units), Las Torres (595 units), San Lázaro, Tamaraceite (738 units) and El Batán (165 units). Tamaraceite holds the largest share of the land, offering space for 738 apartments, while La Minilla provides the smallest allocation. The total land area involved exceeds 28,000 m² in Tamaraceite, 15,700 m² in Las Torres, 6,800 m² in Casablanca III, 4,300 m² in El Batán and 1,600 m² in La Minilla.

If fully executed, the 1,812 units will represent a significant addition to the city’s affordable housing stock, reducing the shortfall of roughly 4,500 families currently seeking homes. The council notes that, even without this specific programme, the available public land could accommodate more than 3,000 additional apartments, highlighting the city’s capacity for further development.

The initiative relies on regional legislation that permits the conversion of commercial and office premises to residential use, the occupation of vacant buildings for housing, the increase of building heights to match neighbouring structures, and the subdivision of existing dwellings. Four articles of this legislation were suspended in April 2024, but the council has reinstated the relevant provisions to facilitate the current project.

Supporters, including the council’s Urban Development and Housing councillor Mauricio Roque, argue the scheme is a strategic response to housing demand. Opposition voices raise concerns: the People’s Party (PP) points to over 4,500 families still lacking homes; Vox suggests the timing aligns with upcoming elections and criticises the declaration of a “tensioned zone” that could limit rental supply; the Canarian Coalition questions the choice of this pathway despite existing land already earmarked for over 3,000 units.

The article was written by journalist Javier Darriba for Canarias7, a leading newspaper in the Canary Islands. Canarias7 provides regional news coverage and has a reputation for reporting municipal and political developments within the archipelago.

The council has already eliminated one parcel after two objections were accepted, reducing the projected total by 209 units in Tamaraceite. Nonetheless, the remaining 1,812 apartments are slated for construction on the designated plots. The mayor, Carolina Darias, reaffirmed the city’s commitment to deliver over a thousand new homes, adding the municipal initiative (537 units) to the Cabildo’s 240 units and ongoing state‑funded projects, which together exceed a thousand additional dwellings.

The programme illustrates a municipal effort to utilise existing public land efficiently, reducing the need for new greenfield development. By focusing on affordable rental housing, the city aims to promote social sustainability, improve urban density, and support long‑term residence stability for a broad segment of the population.