The TSJ reviews the denial of forestry use in Gordón (León)

The High Court of Justice of Castilla y León is reviewing the denial of the private use of 7.7 hectares of public utility forests located in La Pola de Gordón (León), at the request of the company Recursos Naturales de Gordón, S.L. The Directorate General of Natural Heritage and Forestry Policy has issued a summons resolution in ordinary proceeding 889/2026, published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León no. 191, of October 1, 2026, page 116.

The resolution, dated September 29, 2026, and signed by the director general Francisco Javier Ezquerra Boticario, is issued in compliance with the Court’s agreement and in accordance with article 49.4 of Law 29/1998, of July 13, regulating the Contentious-Administrative Jurisdiction. The case is being heard before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber, Section 001–Valladolid, of the Castilian and Leonese high court.

The origin of the conflict: two forests and 7.7 hectares

The appeal is directed against the Resolution of May 21, 2026, of the Directorate General of Natural Heritage and Forestry Policy, which partially upheld the administrative appeal filed against a previous act. That first act is the Resolution of March 11, 2026, of the Territorial Delegation of the Junta de Castilla y León in León, which denied the company the private use of 7.7 hectares of forest area.

The affected lands are two public utility forests from the Catalog of the province of León:

• “Faedillo y Viescas”, number 677, owned by the minor local entity of Vega de Gordón.
• “Villarín y agregados”, number 694, owned by the minor local entity of La Pola de Gordón.

Both are located in the municipality of La Pola de Gordón and correspond to files LE-C-38/24 and 37/24.

The summons and the nine-day deadline

The resolution published this Thursday does not address the merits of the case: it is limited to summoning anyone with a legitimate interest to appear and enter the proceedings. The deadline is nine days starting from the publication of the announcement in the gazette.

The appearance must be formalized before the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León, Contentious-Administrative Chamber, Section 001–Valladolid, located at Calle de las Angustias no. 21 in Valladolid. Anyone who does not appear within that period will remain outside the proceedings and will not be able to assert their claims in this instance.

Who is who in the proceeding

The filing document is signed by the court representative Mr. Juan Antonio de Benito Gutiérrez, in the name and on behalf of Recursos Naturales de Gordón, S.L., the company appearing as the appellant. On the Administration’s side, the Regional Ministry of Environment and Energy and the territorial services of the Junta in León appear, while the smaller local entities that own the forests—Vega de Gordón and La Pola de Gordón—have the status of interested parties in a litigation that directly affects lands under their ownership.

The announcement is framed within section I of the bulletin, section E.2 of other official announcements, under the official reference BOCYL-D-01102026-191-31.

The relevance of the news is twofold. For the residents of La Pola de Gordón and Vega de Gordón, the litigation decides the fate of 7.7 hectares of forest classified as public utility, a status that protects forest resources under local ownership. For other interested parties, the announcement opens a window of only nine days to appear in a procedure that may set a precedent on how requests for private use in public utility forests in the province of León are resolved.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 191, of October 1, 2026, I. Community of Castilla y León, E. Announcements (E.2 Other Official Announcements), page 116 (official reference: BOCYL-D-01102026-191-31).