Canaries formalizes the land transfer for protected housing in El Paso

The Canarian Housing Institute and the El Paso City Council have formalized the free transfer of a municipal plot intended for the construction of publicly promoted protected housing. The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands no. 198, dated October 2, 2026, by order of the Resolution of September 15, 2026, issued by the Secretary of the autonomous body, Huberto Suárez Hernández. The operation is framed within Law 4/2024, of July 26, on urgent measures regarding protected housing for the economic and social recovery of the island of La Palma following the Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption.

The agreement was signed on September 3, 2026, by the Director of the Canarian Housing Institute, María del Pino de León Hernández —appointed by Decree 15/2026, of February 23— and by the Mayor-President of the El Paso City Council, Eloy Martín Barreto. The text is attached as an annex to the resolution and is published on pages 35839 to 35843 of the gazette, in section III, Other Resolutions, of the Ministry of Public Works, Housing, and Mobility.

The transferred plot

The property subject to the agreement is described with the following data:

• Location: calle Antonio González Suárez, no. 9, Polígono 1, 38750, municipality of El Paso (La Palma).
• Surface area: 6,158 square meters.
• Cadastral reference: 8131630BS1783S0000TG.
• Registry data: estate 14393.
• Urban classification: consolidated urban land, residential use, and patrimonial nature.
• Value: 1,319,322.68 euros.
• Real encumbrances: none recorded.
• Boundaries: to the north and east with calle Antonio González Suárez; to the south and west with the El Paso City Council itself and several adjacent cadastral plots.

The document also incorporates the location map and the georeferenced coordinates of the estate.

From the plenary agreement to the regional acceptance

The Plenary of the El Paso City Council, in a session held on June 19, 2025, agreed to transfer the plot free of charge to the Canarian Housing Institute for the purpose of designating it for publicly promoted protected housing, subject to compliance with the procedures of Decree 8/2015, of February 5, for the streamlining and modernization of the management of the assets of Canarian local corporations.

On the regional side, the acceptance file was processed in accordance with article 78 bis of the Regulations of the Heritage Law of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, approved by Decree 133/1988, of September 22, with a mandatory report from the body’s Legal Service. The acceptance was materialized through Resolution no. 175, of April 22, 2026, by the President of the Canarian Housing Institute.

Obligations and legal framework

The clauses of the agreement establish that the El Paso City Council grants the plot free of charge and that the Canarian Housing Institute accepts it, committing to carry out the necessary actions to build publicly promoted protected housing. The agreement constitutes sufficient title for its registration in the Property Registry, according to Article 2 of the Mortgage Law, and shall be executed as a public deed upon the request of any of the parties; notary and registry expenses shall be borne by the party requesting such execution.

The formalization is based on Article 300.1.b).2 of Law 4/2017, of July 13, on Land and Protected Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands, in relation to Article 31 of Law 2/2003, of January 30, on Housing of the Canary Islands, a regulation that grants the organization the power to establish its own land assets for protected housing. The publication in the official bulletin complies with Article 29.2 of Law 12/2014, of December 26, on transparency, and Article 20.1 of Decree 11/2019, of February 11, which requires the publication of agreements within twenty days following their signature.

Impact for those affected

The transfer provides the Canarian Housing Institute with consolidated urban land in the municipality of El Paso, one of the hardest hit by the Cumbre Vieja eruption, and activates the mandate of Law 4/2024 to expand the protected housing stock in La Palma. For the residents and victims of the valley, the agreement represents the prior administrative step toward the construction of public promotion on a plot valued at more than 1.3 million euros.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 198, of October 2, 2026, section III (Other Resolutions), pp. 35839-35843 (official reference: document no. 3406).