Social housing ready to go in Arrecife

The three blocks of social housing in Los Geranios, Arrecife will be completed this year, hopefully alleviating the housing crisis and reviving an area that has fallen into neglect.

Los Geranios is a neighbourhood in Maneje, a larger area north of Arrecife that stretches from Tahiche to the east and Mount Zonzamas to the north. A development of several streets has existed there for several decades, but the area to the east is a desolate one, where major developments were brought to a screeching halt by the credit crunch of 2008.

On the far side of the large park, which has fallen into disuse, a single block of housing and office buildings stood alone for several years, but now six new blocks have sprung up, three of which are almost ready to be occupied.

The €27 million project at Los Geranios is the first major social housing project that has been undertaken on Lanzarote for several years. With 201 apartments, it has been welcomed although it is only a start in addressing the acute housing crisis on the island.

Two blocks, containing 130 of the apartments are likely to be ready by summer, and the third block is expected at some time afterwards. In addition, construction has commenced on three further blocks in the same area, although they will be ready at a later date.

The blocks will contain apartments with one, two, three and four bedrooms, each of which will also have garage space and storerooms. Solar panels will provide power for common spaces and hot water.

The Canarian Government has announced that the usual lottery method of assigning social housing will be replaced by a list that takes into account the social, economic and familial situation of candidates, allocating accommodation to “those in most need of it.” One of the main criteria for applicants is having lived more than ten years as a Canarian resident.

Tenants will pay a council rent for accommodation, with contracts guaranteed on the understanding that they may have to move on if their financial situation improves.

The arrival of hundreds of new tenants may help to revive the fortunes of Los Geranios, where locals have long complained about council neglect.