New legal blow halts Tenerife Motor Circuit
The controversial Tenerife Motor Circuit project has suffered another major setback after a new court ruling concluded that its Environmental Impact Report (EIS) has expired and that the project violates legislation protecting endangered species.
The judgment, issued by Administrative Court No. 4 of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, supports the long-standing claims of environmental group ATAN, which has announced it will now request an immediate halt to all construction.
Issued on 10th November, the ruling upholds ATAN’s appeal against a resolution from the Tenerife Cabildo’s Department of Roads, which had given final approval for the “speed track” within the planned Tenerife International Motor Park, a project with a public investment exceeding €51 million.
This decision is the fourth and final judgment relating to the segmented approval process used by the Cabildo. Three of these rulings have now favoured ATAN, while only one supported the Cabildo’s position.
Expired Permit and Insufficient Works
According to the court, the Motor Circuit’s original EIS was approved in March 2011 and published that September. One of its conditions stated that the statement would expire if construction did not begin within five years.
The Cabildo argued that the requirement was met because, in August 2016, just before the deadline, some work was carried out, including the extraction and replanting of protected plant species, clearing along the projected track, archaeological studies, and partial drainage excavation.
However, the court rejected this argument, noting that the nature and extent of the work were “little more than symbolic.” It stated that what had been completed by the expiration date was “minimal and insignificant,” and therefore insufficient to maintain the validity of the environmental permit.
Warnings Ignored
ATAN highlighted that technical staff within the Cabildo had already warned officials, before the projects received final approval, that the EIS was no longer valid. “Political leaders and members of the island’s environmental assessment committee ignored these warnings,” the organisation said in a statement.
The ruling also confirms that the project violates the Canary Islands Catalogue of Protected Species, as the construction area in Granadilla de Abona contains flora requiring strict protection.
Cabildo Still Defends the Project
Despite the mounting legal setbacks, the Tenerife Island Council has insisted in previous statements that it will maintain the construction schedule, citing the island’s strong “fan base” and “great passion” for motorsport. The project would occupy at least 650,000 square metres, making it one of the largest developments of its kind in the archipelago.
Public opposition, however, has grown steadily, with environmental organisations, neighbourhood groups, and sections of the scientific community repeatedly protesting the project’s ecological and economic impact.
With this latest ruling, ATAN is expected to formally request the immediate suspension of all ongoing works, potentially bringing the Motor Circuit’s future to a halt.
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