The platform Save La Tejita announced on Wednesday that the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office has agreed to examine the complaint regarding the recommencement of construction on the tourist project Cradle of the Soul near the port of Adeje.
The environmental organisation has highlighted the “seriousness and irreversibility” of the damage inflicted by the construction activities and cautions about the “potential criminal implications” of certain incidents that led to the initiation of a sanctioning procedure, which the General Directorate of Heritage has “allowed to lapse.”
Specifically, it emphasises in a statement that “an archaeological site, which the developer was aware of, has been destroyed,” an act that may be subject to punishment under articles 323 and 324 of the Penal Code.
“Although the current regional administration has ignored these findings, these grave acts of destruction of a site remain actionable,” the platform asserts.
Additionally, it outlines that this project exhibits “numerous irregularities,” including the lack of an environmental assessment “as mandated by both European and national legislation” and the concealment of over fifteen species of protected flora and fauna, including the key snake, which halted construction in 2022.
For this reason, the Save La Tejita Ecologist Association is calling for an immediate halt to the construction activities, stating, “it is incomprehensible that just last week, for instance, machinery was operational mere metres away from a location where archaeologists are still conducting fieldwork.”
In their view, “this site holds significant cultural importance for Puertito de Adeje, as it is relatively close to the traditional urban centre and is referred to as the ‘Guanche watchtower’ by the local residents, serving as a clear example of how archaeological heritage and cultural identity are intertwined in this unique area in the southwest of Tenerife.”
