The Canary Islands Parliament has approved a new law designed to speed up planning and building licences to accelerate the construction of new affordable homes, whether public or privately funded projects, across the archipelago.

Originally introduced to tackle lengthy delays in issuing planning permissions, the legislation became one of the most debated bills of the parliamentary session after amendments relating to holiday lets and other issues were added during its passage.

Faster planning decisions

The key change allows professional associations and accredited urban planning bodies to prepare technical reports that can be used when processing planning applications. Until now, these reports could only be produced by municipal planning officers, often resulting in lengthy delays for housing developments.

Under the new system, councils can either commission the reports themselves or developers can submit them directly, covering the cost. While local authorities will continue to make the final decision on planning applications, the reports will carry immediate legal validity and can replace parts of the traditional municipal assessment, unless the council identifies any issues requiring further review.

The Canary Islands Government says the change will cut bureaucracy and help speed up the delivery of much-needed housing without removing public oversight.

Government says law will help tackle housing shortage

Supporters of the legislation argue it forms part of a wider strategy to address the Canary Islands' housing shortage by reducing delays in the planning process.

The PP said the law removes unnecessary bureaucracy while maintaining public control over planning decisions, while the Coalición Canaria also defended the wider package of reforms, describing it as a comprehensive response to the housing crisis.

Opposition criticises changes

Opposition parties accused the government of using the legislation to introduce unrelated reforms. The PSOE described it as an "omnibus law", arguing that amendments on holiday rentals and other subjects had distracted from its original purpose.

Nueva Canarias claimed allowing external organisations to prepare technical planning reports amounts to the "privatisation of urban planning", arguing that speeding up licences alone will not solve the Canary Islands' housing crisis.

Despite the political divisions, the legislation has now been approved and is expected to play a key role in reducing planning delays, with the regional government hoping it will lead to faster construction of new homes across the islands.