On Friday, the Viqueira Group announced that it would recommence the construction work on the hotel near La Tejita beach in Granadilla de Abona. The construction had been halted since May 2021 but has now received the green light from the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC).
According to a statement from the company, the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the TSJC has issued three favorable rulings in support of the hotel developer. The rulings have imposed costs on the relevant organizations as a result of the illegal halting of the works, which had been ordered by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and the Canary Islands Agency for the Protection of the Natural Environment.
The company emphasizes that these definitive sentences confirm the project’s compliance with all the necessary legal requirements and that the approved modification of the boundary does not render the works “illegal.”
The developer insists that the project possesses all the mandatory authorizations and licenses required for its execution, which were obtained in accordance with the demarcation approved in 2002, prior to the commencement of its review.
Furthermore, legal action has been initiated to claim compensation for the economic damages caused by the “illegal halting” of the project.
The developer expressed regret that the “arbitrary and unlawful halting of the project” will ultimately lead to significant costs, which will have to be borne by the citizens.
Viqueira has emphasized that the hotel has been designed to “fully integrate” into the surrounding landscape. As a result, the permitted height of three floors on the first line is effectively reduced to just one floor.
The construction of the hotel is expected to generate nearly 200 direct jobs and over 300 indirect jobs.
The developer acquired the plot for the hotel in 1994 and has since undertaken various initiatives, resulting in the creation of a community where more than 1,000 families currently reside, along with over thirty small businesses, a majority of which are operated by local SMEs. Additionally, more than 18,000 square meters of green areas and recreational spaces have been delivered for public use and enjoyment.
