Tenerife. Quo vadis? Cnt.

Blog 4
The general point being made here is that with regard to most developments, particularly in the south of Tenerife, any conformity with established principles of Town Planning would appear to be purely coincidental. We continue to build beehives and rabbit warrens that, almost by their nature, are visually unattractive. There is over intensification of development, developments out of scale with their sites and out of empathy with their immediate environment leading to adjoining projects literally screaming at each other…and at the passer-by, including the tourist! More often than not there is no overall design brief to which all the individual components should conform. Walking through some of these development ‘mixed salads’ one can easily imagine the frame of mind of the Norwegian Edvard Munch as he worked on his famous creation: The Scream. In fairness this is phase one of Tenerife development where pressure of demand has forced us to sacrifice quality for cuantity.
This man made environment is an intrinsic part of the Tenerife marketing package and is further diminished by the huge number of unfinished buildings and projects.

The fundamental question of accessibility leads one to reflect on the ‘holy trinity’ aspiration of the Tenerife ‘Movers and Shakers’: completion of the Ring Road, construction of the Granadilla Port and construction of the second runway in Reina Sofia. Perhaps the shifting of the car ferry facility from Los Cristianos to Fonsalia should also be added. No doubt the technical people at island government level have appraised, ranked and prioritised all these major capital projects, together with alternative fund deployment opportunities, using, inter alia, DCF techniques including NPV and IRR.

One wonders if, rather than closing the ring road, we shouldn’t consider, in conjunction with the decentralisation of existing employment centres and the optimum location of new employment centres, the construction of a railway from say Los Olivos in Adeje to Icod de los Vinos; feeding Santiago del Teide, Buenavista del Norte, Garachico, etc in transit. This alternative transportation system would have the advantages that:
It would be much faster and cheaper to construct; much more cost effective.
It would create little environmental damage and certainly wouldn’t leave yet another malignant scar on an already heavily haemorrhaging landscape.
It could in itself be a tourist attraction, a ‘must do’ in Tenerife, and would be a delightful way to enjoy the stunning scenery along its proposed route. How can one savour the visual delights of this magical island if careering around an endless motorway at 120KPH? Needless to say we are not talking about an AVE type train system.
If, on the other hand, we wish to use the proposed ring road section as a platform from which to extend development around the island then…that is a political decision.

The construction of the Port in Granadilla would appear to be a worthwhile proposal in principle due to its strategic location. The fact that it adjoins a potentially major industrial estate and employment centre with its REF\ZEC implications is another plus. Such a project would presumably also provide the opportunity for Santa Cruz to develop as a recreational port particularly in the sense of attracting more cruise ship activity. Santa Cruz is a beautiful city, largely unknown to tourists, that has yet to exploit its many attractions. However, if the Santacruceros wish to continue enjoying their siestas and long weekends, while affluent cruise ship clients ramble the streets aimlessly, then that is their privilege. They shouldn’t wonder if the number of cruise ships ‘parking’ near Plaza de España decline. More friendly and welcoming ports are easily found. Whether ‘Port Granadilla’ has the potential to become an international transhipment hub – Plataforma Logística Internacional - linking three continents, is a question to be determined by elaborate marketing research and not justified solely by a hunch, a dream or indeed by having the imprimatur of a mercenary, however distinguished, such as Bill Clinton. Prima facie there is a case to be made for this project. Extreme care would have to be taken regarding both the nature of cargo being transported through Canarian Waters and the quality and suitability of the transportation vehicles.
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