Works suspended at Tenerife Motor Circuit After Supreme Court ruling
The controversial Tenerife Motor Circuit in Granadilla de Abona has suffered another legal setback after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the Tenerife Cabildo, prompting the island authority to provisionally suspend part of the works.
The Supreme Court decided on 30th September not to admit the Cabildo's appeal against an earlier ruling by the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC).
That ruling declared that the Environmental Impact Declaration covering the grandstands section of the circuit project had expired.
Following the latest decision, the Cabildo says it is analysing the legal implications and has provisionally suspended the contract relating to earthworks and removable installations affected by the situation.
However, they insist the overall project will continue.
Cabildo insists circuit will be completed
Tenerife's councillor responsible for Roads, Dámaso Arteaga, said the Cabildo remains convinced that the Motor Circuit will eventually be finished.
The latest legal development forms part of a long-running dispute between the Cabildo and the Tenerife environmental organisation ATAN, which has challenged aspects of the project through the courts.
ATAN has called for the works to be stopped and for the affected environment to be restored.
The Cabildo, however, maintains that the legal dispute does not mean the entire Motor Circuit project has been cancelled.
The authority is currently studying the Supreme Court decision to determine exactly how it affects the different components of the development and what administrative steps will now be required.
€44 million first phase
The Motor Circuit has had a complicated history stretching back decades.
The project was first conceived during the 1990s, with construction beginning in 2016 before works were stopped the following year because of financial difficulties involving the concessionaire.
The scheme was subsequently revived and the current Cabildo government awarded construction of the first phase to the Sacyr-Bahillo joint venture.
That contract is worth approximately €44 million.
The facility is being developed in Granadilla de Abona in southern Tenerife and is intended to provide the island with a permanent venue capable of hosting major motorsport events.
However, its development has repeatedly faced political, environmental and legal controversy.
Latest ruling does not cancel entire project
The key point in the latest Supreme Court decision is that it relates to the Environmental Impact Declaration affecting the grandstands element of the development.
It does NOT amount to a Supreme Court ruling cancelling the entire Tenerife Motor Circuit.
Nevertheless, the rejection of the Cabildo's appeal leaves the earlier TSJC decision in place and creates another hurdle that the island authority must address before all elements of the project can proceed.
The Cabildo acknowledges that continuing delays could ultimately increase the cost of the development but maintains that it intends to complete the circuit.
For now, the affected works remain provisionally suspended while officials assess the legal position and determine the next steps.
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