Page 12 - Demo

12 | Gazette Life | November 2025PLAYA HONDA: A WORK IN PROGRESSPlaya Honda, Lanzarote%u2019s fourth-largest town, is seeing big changes, and even more are planned. Originally a few houses built by wealthy families, Playa Honda expanded, first with the arrival of the airport in the 1940s and then along with the development of tourism. Today, it has almost 11,000 residents.A stroll down Playa Honda%u2019s main street, Calle Mayor, on a weekend morning, gives an idea of who those residents are. You%u2019ll see plenty of younger people, many of whom work in Arrecife or Puerto del Carmen; groups of nurses and teachers meeting up for coffee and a chat; families with prams and pushchairs, and middleaged and retired people enjoying the atmosphere. You%u2019ll hear Spanish spoken in accents from Canarian to Colombian, as well as English, German and Italian, and a relaxed, easy atmosphere.On weekdays, however, that tranquil atmosphere is disturbed, not only by the sound of planes taking off (which Playa Honda residents are well used to) but by the incessant sound of drilling which has been going on all summer. This is the result of a new project to renovate the Plaza de Santa Elena, the pretty tree-lined square at the foot of the street.In June, those trees were uprooted and removed, and diggers began to excavate a huge pit that will be an 110-space underground car park. The square above will eventually be replaced, with new trees, a play area and a three-story building that will contain a library, as well as space for the elderly and cultural activities. However, the removal of the trees caused anger and sorrow among local residents, and the ongoing works %u2013 at over %u20ac6 million, the most expensive project ever taken on by San Bartolom%u00e9%u2019s council - remain controversial. Some of the trees that were removed from the plaza were transplanted to the recently opened Parque Urbano de Wind trees at the new Urban Park.Calle Mayor.GAZETTE | FOCUS