Behind the large economic investments and the municipal council meetings lies a complex commercial and asset structure. The project to build a large commercial and residential park next to the GC-1 highway in El Tablero didn't emerge from nowhere: it's the result of years of land ownership and a shadowy corporate network that has maintained control of the land until managing to revive a development project valued between 60 and 70 million euros. The Councilor for Urban Planning in Southern Gran Canaria, Alejandro Marichal, signed the preliminary draft of the substantial modification to the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) this summer. Now, the only question is who in Las Palmas is sabotaging the project, as always.
The promoting entity that owns the land and leads the private initiative is Aranrub, a company that assumed sole administration of its corporate structure in May 2022. However, an analysis of the commercial history reveals that the sphere of control and management of this and other associated entities responds to a cross-network of administrative positions and sole partners that encompasses more than twenty companies linked to the agricultural, development, real estate and consulting sectors —from firms such as Shadow Partner Consultants SL or Aroyusti SL to other commercial structures with representation and power of attorney connections that go back more than a decade—.
The developer leading the private initiative and holding the land in sector T-9 operates through a corporate management network that has spent over a decade weaving together sole management positions, sole shareholders, and cross-authorizations. Over the years, the reins of this business conglomerate have shifted among various companies linked to the real estate sector, asset management, and consulting—an opaque but effective corporate mechanism designed to keep the land frozen, waiting for the right political and administrative moment for its rezoning.
That moment arrived with institutional impetus from the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council, where the Urban Planning Department activated plenary mechanisms to unblock a sector that had been paralyzed for decades. The convergence of private property interests and the will of municipal managers has transformed the offices into the administrative engine that now gives the green light to the initial processing of the project.
The planned urban development project, covering a total area of 168.709 square meters—after incorporating over 44.000 additional square meters of rural land into developable land—completely subverts the original planning for the area. What was once intended entirely for the construction of low-rise residential housing has been reconfigured to give absolute prominence to commercial and economic activity.
Of the more than 65.000 square meters of total buildable area initially approved for processing: More than 53.000 square meters will be reserved for large distribution and DIY stores —with the expectation of housing major operators such as Bricomart, until now limited on the island to the capital area—, accompanied by restaurant areas, a gas station, a gym and coworking spaces geared towards new labor demands.
The buffer zone residential area (20% of the buildable area): Approximately 12.700 square meters will be strictly confined adjacent to the existing urban center of El Tablero, serving as an orderly transition to the commercial and industrial complex near the GC-1 highway and the industrial park. The initial urbanization phase will absorb between 10 and 12 million euros, while the construction of the retail park will require between 50 and 60 million euros, with the promise of generating more than 600 direct jobs. All of this is complemented by mandatory land dedications for more than 24.000 square meters of public open spaces and roads.
The project, driven by the promoter's commercial strategy and the municipal machinery, now begins its most complex journey: a 45-day period of public comment and the mandatory regional strategic environmental assessment that will determine the true pulse of a project destined to transform the commercial map of southern Gran Canaria.
