Tenerife Motor Circuit Project Faces Collapse After Court Rules Environmental Permit Expired

The future of the Tenerife Motor Circuit is in jeopardy following another legal defeat. The High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC) has confirmed that the project’s Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) has expired. This ruling, dated June 10, rejected an appeal from the Island Council and reinforces a series of previous court decisions that have repeatedly questioned the project's legal standing.

The dispute centers on an environmental permit granted in 2011, which required construction to begin within five years. The Council argued that work had started in 2016, but internal reports from 2022 later confirmed that 0% of the physical work had actually been completed. This aligns with a 2017 proposal to cancel the contract, which noted that the site had been abandoned.

Conservationists, led by the Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature (ATAN), argue that the project is now in a precarious position. ATAN plans to request an immediate halt to all activity at the site, warning that continuing would ignore clear judicial rulings. The group has also criticized the Council’s leadership for backing the circuit while canceling other environmental projects, such as the "Underwater Gardens" in Guía de Isora.

Because the environmental permit has expired, the Council cannot simply resume the project. Instead, it would be required to restart the entire environmental assessment process under current, much stricter regulations. While the Council could still attempt to appeal the decision, ATAN has urged officials to stop spending public money on legal battles that have consistently failed. The court's ruling not only threatens the future of the racetrack but also raises serious questions about how public funds are being managed for projects that have been stalled for years.