The City Council gives a 'yes' subject to the octopus farm
Nueva Pescanova intends to market 3,000 tons of octopus per year. /
It demands changes in the projected building to reduce the visual impact and guarantees that the project will not alter the biodiversity of the sea
The City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is also in favor of the octopus farm and rejects that the Nueva Pescanova project in the port of Las Palmas for the captive breeding of these animals has an environmental impact in the area.
This is how it appears in a
resolution issued on August 4 by the general director of Urban Planning and Housing and in which the environmental impact assessment of the project is reported favorably. Of course, in the same resolution the favorable report is "subjected" to
four changes that Nueva Pescanova will have to carry out in order to obtain urban planning authorization, that is, the construction license. A procedure that depends on the City Council.
In the first place, the Galician group is asked
that modifies the main building of the installation that projects onto the port and divides it into several units in order to reduce the “screen effect” of the building. You are also requested to accompany that
"vegetation" area of landscape imprint” in the intermediate and unbuilt spaces in order to “reduce” the optical effect of the construction, which will reach up to 15 meters in height.
There will be no alterations to biodiversity
The resolution states that, in the event that this modification is not carried out on the building, an "exhaustive justification" of the need for this architectural solution for the activity to be carried out and in relation to the impact on landscape.
The City Council also requires Nueva Pescanova to include the necessary measures to
guarantee that the octopus farm will not produce negative alterations to biodiversity of the marine environment and the ecosystem of the Special Zone of Conservation of the Marine Area of La Isleta. It also claims mechanisms for restricting the biodiversity of birds present in the terrestrial environment of La Isleta on the planned production and associated waste.
Leaving aside the four conditions required by the City Council, the resolution of the environmental impact assessment leaves no room for doubt. «Neither the plot nor its more or less immediate environment is integrated within the
Municipal Protection Catalogin any of the sections of Architectural, Ethnographic, Archaeological Heritage or Area of Environmental Interest, not being applicable the corresponding rules of protection or limitation of use", is included in the resolution.
Does not affect any protected space
In the same way, it is pointed out that the octopus farm is not affected or within the limits of any area defined as an Asset of Cultural Interest or within the
Canary Islands Network of Protected Natural Areas, Natura 2000 Network or Habitat of Community Interest. So, as stated, it is not necessary to apply the legislative protection instruments.
Regarding the proximity of the project to the
La Isleta Protected Landscapethe resolution of the City Council indicates that the octopus farm is located 700 meters away from the outer limit of this area, which implies a "limited relationship" due to its differentiation in situation level and the intermediate existence of urbanized and built space.
"The interaction with the landscape form that the protected space in the Canary Network supposes is well differentiated with respect to said urbanized site and port formalization, not foreseeing a negative alteration in terms of integration in the volcanic environment", it is added.
In addition, as stated in the document, there is no evidence that in the area to be urbanized there is
species or values of geomorphological typebiodiversity, cultural and agrological areas that may require conservation or general interest measures.
Resources in the judicial and administrative channels
Against the resolution of the City Council there is a
Sponsored links in court to put within two months. It is also possible, in advance, one of replacement in the administrative channel in a month.
The resolution was made known a day after it emerged that the Ecological Transition Department of the Government of the Canary Islands had overturned the allegations raised by the Pacma animal rights party against the authorization of land discharges into the sea requested by Nueva Pescanova.
