El Efequén calls for La Oliva’s heritage catalogue to be unblocked, warning of irreversible losses

The El Efequén Heritage Association is calling on La Oliva Town Council to set a timetable for final approval of the Municipal Catalogue of Cultural Heritage Assets, which has been pending since receiving initial approval on 25 July 2024.

The association says its submissions have still not received a response and warns that the delay could affect the preservation of traditional architecture and other heritage assets in the municipality.

Among its concerns is work being carried out on the communal cisterns at Cho Julián, which it says is altering their runoff patterns. The AGONANE association also raised concerns about the case a few days ago.

El Efequén says the case highlights the need to clarify what protection remains in force while the process is completed, and to keep a watch on assets at risk.

“This protection gap could make irreversible alterations to, or destruction of, heritage assets easier,” the association warns. It says administrative procedures should be accompanied by conservation work where necessary.

The catalogue is intended to identify the assets that must be preserved, set their level of protection and determine what work may be carried out. The association says the lack of final approval prolongs uncertainty for owners and makes it harder to establish clear rules for renovating homes or proposing urban development that could affect these assets.

Submissions still unanswered and a new initial approval

El Efequén is particularly critical of the lack of response to submissions made during the public consultation. It wants to know how they were assessed, what changes were made and why particular decisions were taken. The association says the subsequent silence discourages public participation and leaves important questions about heritage protection unresolved.

The association recalls that the municipal government stressed the importance of the catalogue when it announced its initial approval in July 2024.

According to the press release, Mayor Isaí Blanco linked heritage preservation to the municipality’s identity at the time, while David Hernández, the councillor responsible for historic heritage, highlighted the catalogue’s importance in the face of urban growth.

The association also refers to public explanations given by Hernández in May 2026. According to its account, the councillor said substantial changes meant the initial approval process had to be repeated and that the Town Council was waiting to receive an updated document from the drafting company. He also said he was confident the process could be completed during the current term.

Several months on, El Efequén is demanding information about progress and the steps still outstanding.

Explanations of the timescale and current protection

The association is seeking a documented explanation for the length of the process and how it fits within the time limits set out in the Canary Islands Cultural Heritage Act. It also wants clarification of the legal status of the process and the measures that should be taken while it is completed.

The requested timetable should specify when the updated document will be received, when the submissions will be answered, and when the required reports are expected to be completed and the catalogue brought before the full council.

As a point of comparison, the association cites Puerto del Rosario, whose catalogue received initial approval almost ten months after La Oliva’s and has since received final approval, published in the BOP on 9 October 2026.

While acknowledging that each process has its own particularities, El Efequén says the difference makes it all the more important to explain the delay in the northern municipality.

El Efequén is calling for final approval to be made a political priority to prevent the delay from jeopardising the preservation of heritage assets, the work already carried out and the public money invested.