What has the Clavijo government decided?

It has ended the moratoria turística dispute through an out-of-court settlement with hotel chains; the 36 plots escape reclassification as suelo rústico, according to Canarias7 and La Provincia.

How much does the deal cost?

Onán Cruz cites around €485 million (Canarias7, 19 August); politically the figure is "cerca de 500 millones". The government reads it as a saving, since nearly €1 billion was first claimed.

Where are the 36 plots?

30 on Gran Canaria (San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Mogán), 5 on Fuerteventura (Pájara) and 1 on Lanzarote (Yaiza).

Can building start now?

Not automatically. The plots return to municipal planeamiento urbanístico; each municipality decides the use together with the owners. But the path to around 30 projects in the south of Gran Canaria is open again.

What do the critics say?

The platform "Canarias tiene un límite" / "¡Basta Ya!" calls it a "fraude"; Román Rodríguez (NC) accuses the government of playing down "desarrollismo turístico". The government points to its saving and the TSJC's "visto bueno".

SOUTH GRAN CANARIA · TOURISM

Canary Islands pay for moratorium peace as 36 southern plots are freed

The Canary Islands government led by Fernando Clavijo has ended the long-running legal battle over the so-called moratoria turística through an out-of-court settlement with hotel chains. According to the newspaper Canarias7 (18–22 August 2026) and the newspaper La Provincia (18 and 22 August 2026), the government will pay the companies behind 36 disputed files — and in return those plots are freed from being reclassified as suelo rústico (protected rural land).

25 August 2026 · By Martin Kosinski · 6 min

Hotel construction on the coast (illustrative)

Photo: John Baker, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Symbolbild).

The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Canarias (TSJC) gave its "visto bueno", its approval, to the agreement. The government presents the deal as a saving; critics call it a "fraude", a fraud. This article reports both sides.

What the settlement does

According to Canarias7 and La Provincia, the Clavijo government's settlement ends the litigation over the 36 disputed files (expedientes). Rather than fight on in court, the government pays out the hotel chains involved — and the plots thereby escape the planned conversion into protected rural land (suelo rústico).

Onán Cruz, director general of Land Planning and Territorial Cohesion (Ordenación del Territorio y Cohesión Territorial) at the Consejería de Política Territorial, explained the agreement and the figures. Crucial to its legal footing is the TSJC's approval, which signed off on the deal.

Around €485 million, or €500 million?

Two figures are in circulation. The technically negotiated amount is put by Onán Cruz, as reported by Canarias7 on 19 August, at a sum that "ronda los 485 millones" — around €485 million. The rounded, politically used figure, by contrast, is "cerca de 500 millones" or "la friolera de 500 millones" (Canarias7, 21 August; La Provincia).

According to the reports, the claims fell over the course of the talks: the chains initially claimed nearly €1 billion, then €650 million, and finally around €485 million. The government reads this as a saving: it is paying roughly half of what was first demanded, which it says spares the public purse some €500 million (La Provincia, 18 August).

36 plots across three islands

The 36 files are spread, on the available reporting, across three islands: 30 lie on Gran Canaria, in the municipalities of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Mogán; 5 on Fuerteventura, in the municipality of Pájara; and 1 on Lanzarote, in the municipality of Yaiza.

With the settlement, these areas escape reclassification as suelo rústico. Instead they return to municipal town planning (planeamiento urbanístico) — which means that it is each municipality, not the regional government, that decides their future use.

What it means for building in the south

On the reports' account, the agreement itself authorises not a single hotel. The plots return to municipal planeamiento urbanístico; each municipality decides their future together with the owners. New construction is therefore not automatic.

Even so, the settlement reopens the path to around 30 new tourist projects in the south of Gran Canaria — in areas where new lodging capacity had been effectively frozen for about 25 years. That is precisely where some see a fresh start and others a risk.

Criticism and the government's defence

The platform "Canarias tiene un límite" / "¡Basta Ya!" calls the agreement a "fraude", a fraud (Canarias7, 21 August). An opinion piece in La Provincia (22 August) framed the row as "transparencia frente a bofetada" — transparency versus a slap in the face. And Román Rodríguez (Nueva Canarias) criticises the government: the origins of the moratoriums, he argues, are what led to these indemnities in the first place, and he accuses the executive around Clavijo of playing down "desarrollismo turístico", tourism-led development.

The government counters with its saving argument: it is paying only about half of what was first claimed, it has secured the TSJC's approval, and it hands the building decision back to the municipalities. New construction, it argues, is precisely not guaranteed.

Practical note: The settlement authorises no building by itself — the final use is decided by municipal planeamiento urbanístico together with the owners.
Anyone affected or living nearby should keep an eye on the planning of the relevant municipality (San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Mogán, Pájara, Yaiza).

A note of caution: The amounts are approximate and reported differently by outlet — around €485 million (Onán Cruz) versus "cerca de 500 millones" politically.
New construction does not follow automatically from the settlement; the decision rests with the municipalities. Government and critics read the case differently.

Facts and figures

An out-of-court settlement between the Clavijo government and hotel chains ends the moratoria turística dispute (Canarias7, 18–22 August 2026; La Provincia, 18 and 22 August 2026).
Cost: Onán Cruz (Ordenación del Territorio) cites around €485 million (Canarias7, 19 August); politically the figure is "cerca de 500 millones" (Canarias7, 21 August; La Provincia).
The claims fell from nearly €1 billion to €650 million and finally to around €485 million.
36 plots escape reclassification as suelo rústico: 30 on Gran Canaria (San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Mogán), 5 on Fuerteventura (Pájara), 1 on Lanzarote (Yaiza).
The TSJC gave the settlement its "visto bueno" (approval).
Criticism: the platform "Canarias tiene un límite" / "¡Basta Ya!" calls it a "fraude" (Canarias7, 21 August).

FAQ

What has the Clavijo government decided?: It has ended the moratoria turística dispute through an out-of-court settlement with hotel chains; the 36 plots escape reclassification as suelo rústico, according to Canarias7 and La Provincia.
How much does the deal cost?: Onán Cruz cites around €485 million (Canarias7, 19 August); politically the figure is "cerca de 500 millones". The government reads it as a saving, since nearly €1 billion was first claimed.
Where are the 36 plots?: 30 on Gran Canaria (San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Mogán), 5 on Fuerteventura (Pájara) and 1 on Lanzarote (Yaiza).
Can building start now?: Not automatically. The plots return to municipal planeamiento urbanístico; each municipality decides the use together with the owners. But the path to around 30 projects in the south of Gran Canaria is open again.
What do the critics say?: The platform "Canarias tiene un límite" / "¡Basta Ya!" calls it a "fraude"; Román Rodríguez (NC) accuses the government of playing down "desarrollismo turístico". The government points to its saving and the TSJC's "visto bueno".

Read on

CITA News on WhatsAppFollow the channel and keep up with the islands.Follow