The municipality of Pájara is the one with the largest surface area in the autonomous community of the Canary Islands and, at the island chain level, it stands out as the engine of the island’s economy as it concentrates more than 40% of the tourist accommodation capacity, modifying the historical rural identity of the region.
Pájara’s urban planning is based on a special situation in that the current General Urban Zoning Plan came into force in 2007, 18 years after its provisional approval in 1989, without being adapted to any subsequent legislation or to the island plan approved after this date, nor having been subjected to the mandatory process of strategic environmental assessment. This justifies the current review process for the General Urban Zoning Plan.
In terms of the new proposed territorial model and in accordance with criteria for sustainability, noteworthy is the increase in amount of land protected due to its environmental value, an increase of some 4,500 Ha (from 77% to 89% of the municipality). Given the low degree to which the planning scheme’s management and execution have been developed, one of the main tasks will be to establish the appropriate management mechanisms to wrap up the urban planning of those areas that have not fulfilled the previously established commitments.