Court orders partial demolition of Playa Blanca hotel

A court has ordered the partial demolition of the Son Bou hotel complex in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, after a long-running legal case over its building licence.

The Canary Islands Supreme Court of Justice (TSJC) has instructed Yaiza Council to prepare the project and arrange the work. The latest order, dated 29th October, gives the council one year to prepare the project.

Once it is ready, the demolition must be completed within two years. The cost is to be charged to the property’s owner.

The case stems from a 2005 court ruling that annulled the licence under which the complex was built. The TSJC rejected the owner’s request to suspend enforcement, saying a possible future change to local planning rules was not grounds to delay carrying out the existing ruling.

Yaiza Council says the demolition could affect around two-thirds of the complex. It has started the administrative and technical work needed to comply with the order, including preparing tender documents and planning how to keep the remaining structure safe.

The council says residents will not ultimately have to pay for the demolition, although the municipality may have to advance money before recovering the cost from the owner.

The council has also stressed that the court case concerns the Son Bou complex, which is separate from the Hotel Princesa Yaiza.