The Cabildo is not giving up on the Tenerife Motor Circuit!

The Tenerife Cabildo announced today (Wednesday) that it will pursue a new Environmental Impact Declaration for the circuit in Granadilla de Abona, following the latest court ruling against the development.

The Canary Islands High Court overturned an earlier judgment that had backed a revised project for the circuit’s northern access road. The ruling found that the existing environmental declaration had expired.

The Cabildo now says it will stop pursuing further Supreme Court appeals in this legal dispute and withdraw those it has already lodged.

Its legal team has also been asked to assess the implications of the ruling, including whether the construction contract should be suspended.

Planning framework remains in place

Despite the setback, the Cabildo maintains that the territorial planning framework approved for the circuit in 2005 remains valid indefinitely.

That framework provides the basis for the development, but it does not remove the need to meet environmental requirements. The council intends to seek a new environmental declaration within it.

The previous declaration was approved in 2011 and required construction to begin within five years of formal notification.

Work started in August 2016, but progress was limited, and the original contract was later terminated following problems during construction.

The project was revived under the previous island administration. The current Cabildo subsequently awarded the first phase to the Sacyr-Bahillo construction partnership, allowing work to resume.

A lower court ruled in December 2024 that construction had started within the required period and that the environmental declaration remained valid. The High Court has now overturned that decision.

A permanent home for motorsport

The Cabildo argues that Tenerife needs a dedicated venue where drivers and motorcyclists can train and test vehicles safely, away from roads open to everyday traffic.

It says the circuit would meet a longstanding demand from the island’s motorsport community and provide a controlled setting with appropriate safety measures.

For now, the council remains committed to the project, but fresh environmental approval has yet to be secured, and the consequences for the construction contract are still being assessed.