What has the court decided?
The administrative chamber of the Tribunal Supremo refused to admit the Cabildo de Tenerife's cassation appeal on 30 September 2026. The court cited insufficient grounds for the appeal and the absence of a sufficient objective cassation interest.
The decision is final and cannot be challenged. The Cabildo must pay legal costs up to a maximum of 1,000 euros.
This means the environmental impact assessment, known in Spanish as the Declaración de Impacto Ambiental (DIA), remains legally classified as expired for this part of the project. The ruling effectively upholds the decision of the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Canarias (TSJC).
Which part of the motor park is affected?
The motor park was divided into four separate schemes. The decision only affects the grandstand element, specifically the ground modelling and the construction of demountable grandstands. The Cabildo announced it would suspend the contract for this part of the project "partially and provisionally".
Construction work on the overall project began in summer 2025 in the Los Duques de Atogo area, in the midlands of the municipality of Granadilla de Abona. A complete halt to the entire motor park has not been officially confirmed.
The case stems from a legal challenge by the environmental organisation Asociación Tinerfeña de Amigos de la Naturaleza (ATAN). A Juzgado de lo Contencioso-Administrativo in Santa Cruz de Tenerife had previously annulled the grandstand project because the DIA had expired.
Which proceedings are still open?
Three further proceedings have not yet been conclusively decided. They concern the amended project for phase 2 of the northern access road, the adaptation of the motor park to the flood protection plan, and the amended project for the speed circuit.
According to its own account, the Cabildo is waiting for the courts' decisions on these three proceedings. No specific date was given for a decision on the remaining parts of the project.
ATAN, by contrast, is calling for an immediate halt to construction, the restoration of the land already altered, and an examination of legal and political responsibilities. Whether and when these demands will be met remains open based on the information available.
What does this mean for residents and visitors?
Based on the information available, there is currently no new regulation, fee, access restriction or deadline for residents, foreign residents or tourists. The only confirmed measure is the provisional partial suspension of the grandstand contract.
No specific date was given for resumption, a final cancellation of the project or the restoration of the land. The impact on daily life for people in Tenerife is therefore limited for the time being.
Anyone interested in further developments should follow the official announcements of the Cabildo de Tenerife. The courts' decisions on the three remaining parts of the project are still pending.
How did the dispute arise?
The history of the Circuito del Motor de Tenerife goes back several decades. The environmental impact assessment was approved in 2011. It stipulated that the declaration would lose its effect if work did not begin within five years.
The Cabildo argues that the work carried out in 2016 was sufficient to keep the environmental impact assessment valid.
The Cabildo approved the project in four parts, after which ATAN challenged all four decisions.
What is the environmental organisation ATAN demanding?
ATAN sees itself vindicated by the Tribunal Supremo's decision. The organisation states that the DIA for the circuit has expired and that the project has no ecological or legal basis.
ATAN is calling for an immediate halt to construction, the restoration of the affected land and clarification of legal and political responsibilities. The organisation accuses the Cabildo of having continued work after the initial rulings.
The Cabildo has not responded in detail to these accusations in the reporting available. It points out that it is waiting for the courts' decisions on the three remaining proceedings.