La Laguna Plans Demolition of Private Club to Restore Public Access at Punta del Hidalgo
La Laguna City Council and the Canary Islands government have begun coordinating the demolition of a private club at Charco de la Arena to restore public access to the Punta del Hidalgo coastline following a final Supreme Court ruling.
Plans to restore public access to the coastline at Punta del Hidalgo are now underway following a meeting between the La Laguna City Council and the Canary Islands Government’s Directorate General for Coasts. Both authorities are coordinating a schedule to carry out a National Court ruling that mandates the demolition of a private club at Charco de la Arena. This decision became final last March after the Supreme Court rejected a final appeal.
The meeting—attended by Mayor Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, Director General for Coasts Antonio Acosta, and Councilor for Urban Planning Adolfo Cordobés—marks the first step in returning this area to public use. The site has been under private management since the 1960s, when a concession was granted for a restaurant and the use of a natural pool. The goal is to remove the private facilities and restore the area as a public space integrated into the natural landscape.
The process involves several administrative steps requiring state cooperation. The La Laguna City Council will submit improvement projects to the regional government, including the rehabilitation of the San Juanito trail (Camino de la Costa). Following this, the Directorate General for Coasts will request that the Ministry for the Ecological Transition formally revert the land to public ownership. Once the state regains control, a transfer agreement will be signed, allowing the City Council to proceed with the demolition and environmental restoration.
This initiative ends decades of private coastal occupation and reflects a wider effort across the Canary Islands to improve public access to the shoreline. By coordinating their efforts, municipal and regional authorities aim to speed up the process, ensuring that Charco de la Arena is restored and returned to the residents of Punta del Hidalgo as quickly as possible.