AMF calls on Pájara government to act to halt demolition of Casa Las Señoras

Asambleas Municipales de Fuerteventura (AMF) in Pájara is urging the mayor, Alejandro Jorge, and the governing coalition of PSOE and Coalición Canaria to use all available municipal powers immediately in an attempt to suspend the demolition of Casa Las Señoras, scheduled for this Wednesday, 26 August, in Cueva de la Negra.

The group is calling for the demolition to be suspended as a precaution until the submissions made by the family of Pascuala Roger Pérez have been expressly resolved and the building’s possible historical, ethnographic and testimonial value has been assessed.

According to the family and published reports, the house is more than 150 years old and is the last surviving built remnant of the former coastal settlement of Cueva de la Negra, linked to generations of families who made their living from fishing and shellfish gathering in Jandía.

AMF’s spokesperson on Pájara Town Council, Pedro Armas, said: “Reaching the eve of the demolition without publicly explaining what specific municipal measures have been taken to protect the house is another sign of the governing group’s ineffectiveness and poor management.” He added: “Heritage is not protected through last-minute statements or by shifting all responsibility to other administrations. It is protected through good management, foresight and the use of the powers held by the Town Council.”

AMF points out that the Canary Islands Cultural Heritage Act 11/2019 makes local councils responsible for monitoring heritage within their municipal boundaries, requires them to notify the Island Council of any risk of destruction, and allows them to propose urgent precautionary measures. The same law empowers Fuerteventura Island Council to suspend demolitions and take steps to prevent the destruction or deterioration of sites with potential cultural value.

AMF is therefore calling on the Town Council to submit a formal, reasoned request for suspension to the Canary Islands Coastal Demarcation today; to activate the precautionary procedure set out in heritage legislation; and to send the Island Council a municipal technical report, together with an urgent request to assess the property and, if appropriate, begin protecting or listing it.

The group is also demanding that the mayor make public all the steps taken by the Council since it became aware of the case. “Initiatives in Congress may help, but they do not replace the work that needs to be done in Pájara. Those governing the municipality cannot simply point the finger at Madrid without explaining whether they have used every tool available to them,” Armas said.

The known timeline, AMF adds, shows there was time to act. The family’s legal representative asked the Coastal Demarcation for a precautionary suspension and an administrative moratorium on 15 July. The demolition date of 26 August was announced on 12 August and the legal office received the notice the following day. On 14 August, the request was reiterated and an express, urgent response was sought.

Pedro Armas said carrying out the demolition now would cause irreversible damage before the building’s cultural value had been properly assessed. “If the house is demolished, any subsequent study will come too late. AMF is calling for a responsible pause: suspend, assess and decide with all the reports on the table,” he concluded.