Plans for a controversial luxury seaside resort village with its own farm have been granted a building permit in Tenerife.
The Cuna del Alma tourism project will see hundreds of homes built in the south of the Canary Islands. The first phase of the development is estimated to be costing around £36 million.
The development, near the city of Adeje and the popular Playa de las Américas resort, will transform a beautiful bay at El Puetito into a bougie and bijou resort with 3,602 beds for visitors. However, critics say it will create a small town – and are worried about the ecological impact.
Environmental activists and scientists have been campaigning for more than two years to halt the project. And a £500,000 fine was issued after an archaeological site was allegedly destroyed.
The fine was never paid and expired on August 31 last year, due to a lapse in enforcement. And the Canary Islands Agency for Environmental Protection (ACPMN) dropped its case against the project, reported Canarian Weekly.
There are, nonetheless, ongoing concerns about the lack of a formal environmental assessment – and the impact the development may have on the ecology of El Puertito. However, the developer, Segunda Casa Adeje has an ‘eco-manifesto’ vowing to protect and restore the area’s natural environment.
Its website says: “We believe in a tourism model that applies itself in harmony with its surroundings. Respectful with its environment, sustainable, to be enjoyed by present and future generations.
“We are passionate about Tenerife , its people, its volcanic landscape and amazing contrasts. We will prioritize local products and put its people first, creating around 750 new jobs in the process.
“We will always follow environmental focused planning and protect biodiversity. Integration is part of our DNA. We are aiming at restoring a natural balance, reviving a landscape damaged by humans while applying low-density architecture at the same time.
“We value the sea and its contribution to life and beauty. We are striving to include a recovery programme to restore the original beach, preserve the local marine environment, and protect the ‘boba’ turtle.
“We want our social and environmental commitments to become our legacy, enjoyed by generations to come. Setting a benchmark for sustainability by building with ecological materials, based on international practices.”
Regarding its plans, Segunda Casa Adeje website says the the village of Cuna del Alma will be an “an oasis inviting you to savour the moment”. And it says Cuna del Alma’s Beach House will be a ” hyper-inclusive space” at “the heart of the village”.
The beach house will, it says, be a place “where the spirit lives and dances, resonating with a welcoming, collective energy”. The resort will also have an organic restaurant, Granjeor Marinero – which will be perched on a cliff.
And, in an area of volcanic rock formations, there will be a “glistening turquoise rock pool close to the pristine beach”. The website claims: “The seamless transition between this luxury cooling-off spot and the luxury residencies surrounding it, allows one to reconnect to nature with an urban spirit”.
As one would expect, the village will also feature its own spa offering “a suite of luxury treatment services”. More unusual is the inclusion of a farm.
The website says: “On the farm, a symbiotic selection of herbs, fruits, and vegetables unite to unlock a unique sensory experience for Cuna del Alma inhabitants. Local traditional crops such as papayas, potatoes, avocados, figs, bananas and mangoes will grow calmly under the Canarian sun.”