The ex-convent of Santo Domingo today hosted the act of constitution of the Plenary of the Municipal Council of Cultural Heritage of La Laguna, a technical and advisory body with the participation of 22 representatives of the citizens and of local, regional and international entities with expertise in this field. The Council will provide a fundamental service to the only World Heritage City in the Canary Islands and will provide a specialised and participatory vision for decision-making aimed at the conservation, dissemination and protection of the extensive historical and cultural legacy of the municipality.

The Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, chaired this first session, accompanied by the Councillor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés. In his speech, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez stressed the importance of this consultative body, which “responds to a request from La Laguna society itself, from prestigious entities of the municipality and other supra-municipal institutions that want to debate and contribute to the conservation and improvement of our heritage”.

“We are at a time when La Laguna can lead heritage management policies even at national level, thanks to its membership of the Group of World Heritage Cities, which we have chaired for the last year and a half, putting on the table projects and proposals that have come out of this City Council,” he said. The mayor invited the members of the council to “actively participate, to serve as a guide for those of us who are at the head of the municipal Corporation”, and called on “all of us to work hand in hand, because what is decided in this council will be good for the present and the future of our city”.

For his part, Adolfo Cordobés, stressed the importance of “having a group of people and professionals committed to the protection and promotion of our valuable cultural heritage, an advisory body that will play a significant role in the local development of the Canary Islands Cultural Heritage Law and that will facilitate collaboration with other institutions and the community with a single shared objective, that of preserving our legacy and ensuring that future generations can enjoy and learn from our rich heritage”.

“With this Council”, added the mayor, “we reaffirm our commitment to the heritage and collective memory of La Laguna. In addition to joining efforts and knowledge for the benefit of our municipality, it will allow us to explore new ways of preserving our monuments, traditions and cultural manifestations in order to, through cooperation, promote research, education and awareness of our heritage”.

In accordance with the provisions of the Regulations governing this Municipal Council, the plenary is made up of the Mayor, the Councillor for Cultural Heritage, councillors from the municipal areas of Territorial Planning, Works and Infrastructures, the Urban Planning Department, as well as a representative of each of the political groups of the Corporation and the technical staff of the aforementioned councils and local autonomous bodies.

In addition to a technician appointed by the Service responsible for historical heritage of the Cabildo of Tenerife and a specialist in Cultural Heritage from the University of La Laguna, there are representatives from the International Centre for Heritage Conservation (CICOP), the Official College of Architects of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro, the Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Country of Tenerife, the Institute of Canarian Studies (IECAN) and the Diocese of Nivariense, as well as the official Chronicler of La Laguna.

The Plenary also incorporates a large representation of neighbours, with members appointed by the Federation of Neighbourhood Associations (FAV) Aguere, the Orfeón La Paz, the Casino of La Laguna, the associations of owners of historic and unique houses of La Laguna and those dedicated to the defence of cultural heritage, among other civic and cultural entities.

Working committees

This institution will meet again after the summer, with a fixed agenda and proposals for the creation of specialised working commissions. In addition, its functions include providing advice, at the request of the Mayor’s Office, the plenary commissions or the Department of Cultural Heritage, on all matters affecting the knowledge, conservation, dissemination, protection, safeguarding and promotion of the municipality’s cultural heritage, including executive decision-making and the approval of the annual programme of actions, the municipal budget and local regulations in this area.

The Council may formulate proposals, solutions and alternatives to the City Council in this field, propose research work and the publication of specialised publications, as well as encourage dialogue with other entities, agents, associations and groups that share the same aims.

It will also advise on procedures in which the Autonomous Community or the State Administration request municipal report on protected property located in the municipality and BIC declarations, as well as in relation to projects of architecture, engineering, painting, sculpture or urban plans and actions, publicly owned, which affect or may affect the heritage of La Laguna.

The Municipal Council of Cultural Heritage will develop its functions through its presidency, which corresponds to the mayor, as well as a secretariat, working committees and the plenary of this body.