Not the most exciting headline in the world… but if you’re building, developing or waiting on paperwork, this matters.
Santa Cruz has managed to cut the waiting time for new building licences almost in half.
And in Spain, that’s not nothing.
From Eleven Months… to Six
The Urban Planning Department at Santa Cruz Town Hall has reduced the time it takes to grant new building licences from nearly eleven months down to around six or seven.
That’s from the moment a technician reviews the project to when the licence is actually granted.
Still not exactly Amazon Prime speed.
But it’s a significant improvement.
The idea is simple enough. Speed up the process so property owners and developers can build new homes faster. Both private houses and multi-family developments.
All of this, of course, is being framed as part of the response to the ongoing housing crisis.
And to be fair, supply is clearly an issue.
More Staff, More Coordination
According to the councillor responsible, Zaida González, they’re reinforcing the Licences Department, the Discipline Department and staffing levels in general.
They’re finishing recruitment processes to fill vacant posts and, in her words, give the system “a big push”.
They’re also improving coordination with the Local Police so inspection reports and official records move more quickly. Less bottlenecks. Less paper shuffling.
That’s the theory anyway.
The Urban Planning budget for 2026 has been set at €9.7 million. Slightly more cautious this year due to uncertainty around national budgets, but still focused on speeding things up.
Backing Regional Rules to Build More Homes
The council is also supporting new regional regulations designed to accelerate housing construction across the Canary Islands.
One of the key changes allows professional bodies, such as the College of Architects and other authorised entities, to access the Canary Islands Government register to help process new building applications.
The logic is straightforward.
The more licences granted, the more homes get built.
And apparently, there’s no shortage of applications coming in.
The General Plan Is Still Moving… Slowly
Another focus for the department is the long-awaited update to Santa Cruz’s General Urban Plan.
After Carnival, meetings will begin with the city’s five districts to look at the initial framework and gather contributions.
For now, the city is still operating under the old General Plan, although four modifications are already underway.
Which, if you know anything about Spanish planning law, means it’s evolving… but carefully.
What This Really Means
If you’re a developer, investor or landowner in Santa Cruz, this is good news.
Six to seven months isn’t lightning fast, but it’s far better than waiting nearly a year just for permission to start.
If the housing crisis is going to ease at all, supply has to increase.
And supply doesn’t increase if licences sit on desks for eleven months.
Whether this pace can be maintained is another question.
We’ve seen “acceleration” announcements before.
But if they genuinely keep cutting red tape and processing applications properly, it could make a noticeable difference over the next couple of years.
More homes built.
More movement in the market.
Less stagnation.
Let’s see if it sticks.
