Supreme Court reaches decision on future of El Algarrobico (Almeria) hotel

ACCORDING to the provincial media, Spain’s Supreme Court has now decided whether the El Algarrobico hotel should be demolished.

Built on what is now protected land inside the Cabo de Gata-Nijar national park, the developers were granted planning permission in the 1980s although construction did not begin until 2003. 

This was halted two years later on the orders of the then Environment minister, Cristina Narbona.

Although the Supreme Court reached its decision on December 7 the verdict, resulting from an appeal by environmentalist group Greenpeace, will not yet be made public.

The tribunal has been deliberating whether cases like the El Algarrobico – where a permit was revoked following a change in the legislation on which planning permission was originally based – could set jurisprudence.

“Possibly it will be necessary to wait until the sentence has been put into writing,” said sources quoted in La Voz de Almeria.

Meanwhile, Ramon Fernandez-Pacheco who now heads the Junta’s Sustainability department, announced in October that regional government had set aside €1.1 million for demolishing the hotel and removing the resulting rubble in this year’s Budget.

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