Draft Canary Islands coastal law sets out ways to protect traditional settlements

The Canary Islands Government has presented a draft coastal law to groups representing communities affected by Spain’s Coastal Law. The draft sets out ways to protect traditional coastal settlements and explore how they could gain legal status.

Antonio Acosta presented the draft to the joint commission for those affected on Tuesday 3 November 2026. He heads the Directorate-General for Coasts and Management of the Canary Islands’ Maritime Space.

For coastal residents in Fuerteventura and across the islands, the key point is that this is still a draft. Its presentation does not make settlements legal or confirm the status of individual homes.

Assessing each coastal settlement

Acosta said the proposed law should address planning rules for traditional settlements. It should also improve public services and bring them into use. Ways to give settlements legal status would depend on each community’s circumstances.

He argued that these places are part of the islands’ history. Efforts to protect them should take account of the families whose lives are rooted there. Each settlement would need a separate review to clarify its status and identify possible options.

Census to establish the scale of the issue

The directorate is working with Grafcan on a census of coastal settlements. It also plans to commission further work to identify them during 2026.

According to Acosta, there is currently no complete register of these settlements in the Canary Islands. There is no full count of the settlements, occupied homes or people affected by coastal law.

The census aims to record the features of each settlement and the status of its homes. It will also record how the homes relate to the public coastal domain and associated easement zones.

Acosta also urged residents and associations to read the draft and suggest changes. The report gives no deadline for comments or timetable for the law’s approval.