Court suspends Extremadura decree to prevent Valdecañas demolition

The ongoing legal battle over the Marina Isla de Valdecañas urbanization in Cáceres has escalated after the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Extremadura (TSJEx) suspended a regional decree intended to prevent the demolition of the complex. The decree would have modified the boundaries of a Special Protection Area for Birds (ZEPA) to exclude the island where the development is located. The suspension, granted on June 5 and announced on June 13, is a provisional measure while the court considers the merits of the case Source: infobae.

Background

The conflict began in 2007 when the Junta de Extremadura approved a project for chalets, hotels, a golf course, and a marina on Valdecañas Island, despite its ZEPA designation since 2003. Ecologist groups challenged the project, and in 2011 the TSJEx declared it illegal, ordering restoration of the original state, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2014. Subsequent attempts to modify the ruling—allowing only partial demolition to save 185 villas and a hotel—were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, and the Constitutional Court rejected appeals in 2025 Source: infobae.

Reactions

Ecologistas en Acción welcomed the suspension, calling it a "casi definitivo" blow to the Junta's efforts. The environmental group's lawyer, Jaime Doreste, stated, "Es la constatación judicial de que el decreto se redactó con un único objetivo: intentar rescatar urbanísticamente la Marina Isla de Valdecañas" Source: infobae. The Junta has announced it will appeal the suspension, arguing that the ZEPA designation was based on cartographic errors Source: infobae.