90 families squatting in an abandoned hotel in Costa Teguise evicted for development

90 families squatting in an abandoned hotel building in Costa Teguise face eviction as the plot is developed into a luxury hotel.

Plot 214, between the Avenida del Mar and the Avenida de las Palmeras, has been under a demolition order for two decades, but the responsibility for assuming the costs of the demolition was disputed for several years.

Now, Arrecife firm Toscolanz SL plan to construct the Body, Mind & Health Hotel luxury hotel complex, comprised of “a careful selection of luxury villas,”. Toscolanz applied to evict the squatters in 2023.

The families currently squatting in the buildings have until Monday to appear before a magistrate and receive formal notification of their eviction, although no date has yet been provided for this. Many of the squatters claim to be working people who cannot afford rent prices on Lanzarote.  

Teguise Mayor Olivia Duque has said that her council’s Social Services department are assisting some families that are “at risk of exclusion.”