Trailer park life on Lanzarote

More and more Canarians, unable to access the housing market because of high rents, are living in mobile homes, caravans and even their own cars.

In the USA, around 20 million people live in trailer parks. It’s a staggering figure, and the resulting stereotype of “trailer trash” has long left Europeans feeling superior. But at least those economically-stressed Americans have trailer parks.

On the Canaries there is no such thing. On Lanzarote, the only place where caravans are permitted to stay is the campsite at Papagayo, which is only open during summer months. There are no other caravan parks or campsites on the island.

Earlier this year, Teguise Ayuntamiento moved on several mobile homes from car parks near beaches in Costa Teguise. The owners had chosen to park in these areas because of access to showers and public conveniences.

Caravanning has often been the choice of Canarians for their summer holidays – there’s a long tradition of spending the summer by the sea in coastal areas on the north or east coast of the island – and a caravanners association called “El Burgao Verde” (Green Snail) has long called for more facilities.

But in the years after the financial crisis of 2008, it became clear that several islanders were already living in their vehicles. Some had been evicted from their homes; others chose to occupy caravans while renting their home out as a holiday let. As many occupants of caravans are working, many simply find a mobile home easier than a long daily commute.

The response of the authorities so far has to ignore the problem or try to move it on – Tías and Teguise Ayuntamientos have prohibited mobile homes from various parking areas. The result is caravans moving on every few days, or parking in more out-of-the-way areas without any facilities.

But with a complete lack of social housing in the last 25 years, the recent vast increase in registered holiday rentals and the continuing difficulty of finding affordable homes or rents, the situation is unlikely to go away.

Perhaps the Canarian government should accept that trailer park living is a reality for an increasing number of islanders, and provide semi-permanent parking areas with access to basic facilities.