The Save La Tejita Platform released a statement on Friday, revealing that the Ombudsman’s investigation, prompted by the group, has concluded that the construction project of the Tenerife Motor Circuit in the south of Tenerife possesses an expired environmental impact statement.
Moreover, it was highlighted that several crucial technical reports and mandatory permits are absent. These include aspects related to protected flora and fauna species, light pollution, water environment impacts, wastewater treatment, and discharges.
However, it was pointed out that the most critical omission by the Cabildo is the lack of an acoustic impact study, considering that a facility of this nature could potentially generate more noise pollution than an airport.
The Cabildo had previously stated in the project that it would make adjustments to the windows and doors of neighbouring properties using public funds if complaints about noise were received. However, this detail, according to the platform, could lead to the closure of the Motor Circuit and potential wastage of 50 million in public funds if a neighbour were to report the noise to a court.
The deliberate omission of this technical study could be considered an act of serious misconduct by the administration.
Salvar La Tejita also expressed dismay over the Cabildo’s failure to respond to their request made a year ago, as per Law 12/2014, for transparency and access to public information regarding the project.
Neglected Report by the Council
It has been a long-standing knowledge of the Cabildo of Tenerife that the environmental impact declaration (DIA) has expired. In fact, in November 2022, they disregarded a legal recommendation for a new evaluation, asserting that it cannot have unlimited validity. The report, prepared by the Support Unit of the Environmental Assessment Commission of Tenerife (CEAT), states that the EIS from 2011 has expired.
The report, which this newspaper has obtained, is definitive. It concludes that “for legal certainty, considering that eleven years have elapsed since the approval of the EIA, a new assessment must be carried out for the entire project, as the environmental evaluation in question has expired.”
