Garachico’s La Consolación Beach to Remain Closed All Summer Following Wall Collapse

La Consolación beach in the El Guincho neighborhood of Garachico will remain closed for the entire summer. The beach has been off-limits since a wall collapsed last February, and bureaucratic delays, combined with the fact that the land is privately owned, have stalled any progress on repairs.

To speed up the process, the Garachico City Council has officially declared the site to be in a state of "imminent ruin." Because the land is private, the council cannot simply step in and fix it; instead, they are acting as a mediator between the landowners and the Canary Islands Government. Councilor for Beaches, Andrés Hernández, says they are currently waiting for technical approval to begin clearing the debris.

The proposed plan involves a controlled demolition of the remaining viewpoint structure. Engineers intend to remove the material vertically to ensure no waste falls into the sea, moving the debris to the nearby road instead. This plan still requires final approval from the Coastal Authority. Even if everything goes smoothly, the administrative process will take weeks, making it uncertain whether the beach will even be ready for local festivities in September.

Residents of El Guincho are frustrated and have voiced their concerns to the local government. There is also growing worry about safety; despite warning signs and fencing, people continue to enter the restricted area. While police have cleared the beach on several occasions, the City Council admits it is difficult to keep the area under constant surveillance.

This situation highlights the complex red tape Canarian municipalities face when dealing with safety issues on private land that borders the coast. For now, the City Council says the timeline for reopening depends entirely on how quickly the regional government responds and how soon the landowners can arrange for the necessary work to be done.