Spanish Government Plans For Housing
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced this week a 12 point plan with a raft of measures that seek to solve the housing crisis in part of Spain. These will be put to congress in the coming months and may be subject to changes on their journey to law.
The headline, which is creating the most controversy, is a plan to increase taxation on properties purchased by non EU foreign residents. Much of the media is interpreting that as the doubling of the price of a property, while others are suggesting it is a doubling of the tax element. We’ll update here when that becomes clearer, but bear in mind all of these proposals need to go through the parliament.
Other measures include a reduction in tax for people long term renting their properties, the building of more affordable homes, a system of public guarantees to protect landlords who offer affordable rents and aid for restoring older properties to put them into the long term rental market.
We’ll write much more about these plans as more information is confirmed.
Truck Hits Ring Road Bridge
An over-height truck hit a bridge on the circunvalacion, or ring road, in Arrecife on Thursday. The road was closed for some time, causing big tailbacks, while the fire department cleaned the concrete and removed damaged steel rods. The bridge will be inspected to ensure it remains structurally safe.
Complaint About Illegal Tour Guides
The Association of Tourist Guides has denounced the proliferation of illegal tour guides offering their services on the island, without the proper training or qualifications. They particularly cite the numbers arriving at the port of Arrecife, driving private cars or hire cars and offering tours to various parts of the island.
Calima Expected Thursday
AEMET are warning that the island will have calima conditions, with dust in the air on Thursday. The calima is expected to be “extremely unfavorable” in the morning, lessening during the course of the day.
Aldi Playa Blanca To Open 29th January
The new Aldi store in Playa Blanca will open on 29th January. The store has 1200 square metres of floor space, will employ nineteen staff and around 20% of the products sold come from The Canaries.
Disgusting Behavior On TUI Flight To Lanzarote
A video showing a crew member shouting at some passengers on a TUI flight from London Gatwick to Lanzarote on Christmas Eve has gone viral. The crew member told a group of passengers that she was fed up, and would as the Captain to contact the police if their racist behavior continued. The group were criticizing a British Family of Iranian origin, calling them whores, and telling them to get back to their own country. They also told the family that they should be speaking English and not Farsi. The Captain arranged a police escort off the flight for the British / Iranian family.
New Streetlights For Costa Teguise Promenade
New streetlight are currently being installed along the promenade in Costa Teguise at a cost of 800,000 €. The new energy efficient lighting will provide much higher levels of light at night time.
Fans Arrive From Mainland For Reina del Flow Filming
Filming of an episode of Reina del Flow took place on the beach in Arrecife, with thousands of islanders as extras at the concert. Several hundred fans also flew in from various parts of mainland Spain to see the event. Reina del Flow is the biggest Spanish language TV programme on Netflix.
Spanish Banks Must Offer Instant Transfers At Same Price
As of 9th January, all Spanish banks must offer instant transfers within the SEPA zone at the same price as normal transfers, which can take up to 24 hours. This is an EU requirement to facility payments within the Euro Zone. For most, that will mean instant transfers will be free, and they should take less than 20 seconds.
Popular Lanzarote Terms On Social Media
A study has been carried out on the ten most popular terms, relating to Lanzarote, used on social networks. They are, in order of popularity:
- Playa Blanca
- Timanfaya
- Puerto del Carmen
- César Manrique
- Famara
- La Graciosa
- Costa Teguise
- Tinajo
- Papagayo
- Jameos del Agua
Caravan Campsite In Draft Island Plan
The future Island Plan for Territorial Planning of Lanzarote includes provision for a campsite for caravans and motor caravans in Famara. The plan also includes a provision for extending the existing landfill at Zonzamas, a “Sports city” in Tahiche, more land in Arrecife for housing and it also resurrects the idea of creating a conference hall in the capital.
RORC Trans Atlantic Racers Depart
Lanzarote said goodbye this week to the 17 crews and boats who will be competing in this year’s transatlantic race. The crews have spent weeks on the island, training and preparing, and they were seen off by many islanders as they departed Marina Lanzarote in Arrecife. The crews comprise 18 different nationalities and their next stop is the island of Granada, 3,000 nautical miles from here.
Cast Of La Reina del Flow Arrive
The cast of Netflix’ biggest Spanish language show arrived in Lanzarote over the weekend. They are staying in Puerto Calero, and will be shooting a concert on the beach in Arrecife.
E Bike Rental In Arrecife In Second Half Of Year
Arrecife will have E Bikes for rental in the second half of this year. Initially, there will be 58 bikes, with nine parking and charging stations, which can be hired, using an app. The bikes will have a range of up to 60 KM.
Wind Turbines Down
The wind turbines in Montaña Mina have now been completely removed. They have not been operational for a few years, and have been dismantled and scrapped.
Cabildo Approves Installation Of Smart Panels At Stops
The Cabildo has approved a spend of 1.28 Million Euros to install smart panels on all bus stops on the island. Currently, only 42 of the island’s 318 stops have them. The smart panels show arrivals and bus numbers in real time, using GPS tracking, and they will be solar powered.
New “Fast Track” To Evict Squatters
A new “fast track” process to evict squatters has been approved by the central government in Madrid and is now effective across Spain. Cases will now follow a “fast trial” process, which could see resolutions in as little as 15 days. This marks a significant improvement from the previous average timeframe of two years. Owners will be able to file a complaint with the courts, who will then demand the people provide proof of entitlement to be in the property. If they do not do so, the courts will issue an eviction order and a date, and your officials will oversee their departure on the given date.
We’ll add more news here as it comes in this week……
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