The Cabildo de Tenerife is giving local councils more responsibility when it comes to certain works in the island’s historic areas.
The move is intended to make the process quicker for smaller projects, avoiding the need for residents to obtain separate authorisations from two different administrations for relatively straightforward work.
The new arrangement applies to historic areas without a Special Protection Plan currently in force, as well as certain protected surroundings of Buildings of Cultural Interest (BIC) covered by the island-wide agreement.
What work can councils approve?
The measures cover a range of everyday property works, including:
- Interior works inside buildings
- Painting façades in white, grey or beige
- Repairing cracks and fissures without changing existing finishes or materials
- Repairs to windows and other carpentry
- Waterproofing and maintaining roofs
- Installing solar panels on roofs where they cannot be seen from the public road
- Changing the use of a property where the change does not involve building work or other physical intervention
There are some restrictions. The arrangement does not apply to historic areas that already have a Special Protection Plan in force.
It also covers certain protected surroundings of BICs classified as Monuments or Historic Gardens, where the original construction dates from after 1960.
Less paperwork for property owners
The Cabildo says the aim is to simplify the administrative process, reduce waiting times and make it easier for people to carry out smaller interventions.
Isabel de Esteban, the island’s Director of Historic Heritage, said the measure is intended to balance the protection of Tenerife’s historic heritage with a more agile and accessible administration.
For anyone who owns a property in one of Tenerife’s historic areas, that could mean fewer forms, fewer trips between offices and, hopefully, less time wondering which department is actually responsible for the bit of wall you want to repair.