The reorganization of service stations in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has plunged the Urban Planning department into an intricate process. The council is analyzing how to resolve the conflict stemming from an agreement signed in 2015 with a hydrocarbon company, which was later challenged in 2022 by another company in the sector.

This conflict centers on the relocation of two service stations in favor of the first company, in exchange for land located behind the Vegueta cemetery. The controversy intensified with the second company's intention to install a gas station on the road leading to the San Lázaro cemetery, directly opposite the plot where the first company planned its own facility.

The complexity of the case lies not only in the multiple ongoing judicial proceedings but also in the existence of contradictory rulings. A recent report from the Canary Islands Consultative Council, which calls for the annulment of the 2015 agreement and the entire land exchange operation, directly clashes with two rulings from the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC) that validated both the initial agreement and the urban planning modification promoted by the council.

The urban operation included the construction of a funeral home, a crematorium, a cafeteria, and new parking facilities around the San Lázaro cemetery. This involved the expropriation of a plot owned by the second company and the transfer of another plot to the first, initially for sports use, for its service station.

The origin of this situation dates back to the municipal need to free up the land behind the Vegueta cemetery to facilitate an exit to the maritime avenue, crucial for the area of the City of Justice. The original agreement with the first company involved a land exchange and financial compensation.

However, one of the plots planned for relocation could not be used due to neighborhood opposition and the route of the MetroGuagua. This led to an addendum to the initial agreement in 2022, changing the plot's location and adding an additional payment from the energy company. The current situation presents the challenge of reconciling the potential nullity of the original agreement with the validity of its addendum.

The City Council is now exploring the possibility of modifying the procedure for obtaining the land behind the Vegueta cemetery, possibly through expropriation, although no final decision has been made. The corporation is aware that any final resolution will likely be appealed by one of the involved parties.