The Andalusian Parliament has validated the urgent decree law on housing measures, which aims to expand the supply with 20,000 new protected homes in five years. The Minister of Development, Territorial Articulation, and Housing, Rocío Díaz, reported in the Plenary session on a «crisis plan made with dialogue, consensus, and great effort», while also calling on municipalities to adhere to measures that «facilitate and streamline the development of urbanized land to boost the construction of protected housing.»
Rocío Díaz stated that housing «is one of the great challenges of our time» and, in light of the current situation, the Andalusian Government has opted for management through a decree-law that aims to «increase the supply of affordable housing and ensure access for those who need it most». She lamented that the housing problem has worsened «due to a Housing Law from the central government that has brought about a collapse of the real estate market, with less supply, less investment, and less security for owners and tenants.» «Never before has so much harm been done to housing,» she emphasized.
In response to this scenario, the minister pointed out that the decree law «addresses current challenges in housing» with «effective solutions» that will be included in the future Housing Law of Andalusia, such as seeking alternatives to the lack of available land for protected housing. At this point, Rocío Díaz highlighted «the key role of municipalities» in urban planning, providing them with tools «to use all vacant land for residential use and adapt it to the needs of their population with full legal guarantees.»
To achieve this, the development of urbanized land for immediate use for the construction of protected housing has been facilitated and streamlined. Therefore, a series of regulatory changes have been introduced to allow land or buildings currently used for tourist accommodation or offices to be allocated for protected housing. It will also be possible to choose privately or publicly owned land without a specific purpose for permanent rental protected housing. The Minister of Development clarified that this will not apply to educational or health-related use parcels.
Furthermore, the decree law will allow land parcels for free housing to increase by 20% in housing density and proportional building capacity if designated for official protection. There will also be an advantage for parcels of protected housing, which can increase housing density by 20% and building capacity by 10%.
The minister reiterated that the collaboration and involvement of municipalities will be necessary for implementation, and they must adhere to these land-related measures through a municipal agreement within a maximum of one year from the entry into force of the decree-law. Specific deadlines will also be set for the execution of housing: two years to apply for a building permit and three years for completion.
Municipalities will also play a significant role in another key measure of the decree law, which is «the creation of a Land Bank for Affordable Housing, which will provide greater transparency on available land and strengthen public-private collaboration,» as stated by the minister. Municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants will participate in the first phase, having three months to provide necessary information and available land. Subsequently, a six-month period is set for the publication of the bank, which will then be expanded and completed with data from the rest of the Andalusian municipalities.
Rocío Díaz also mentioned other significant measures, such as the inclusion of a more streamlined process for selecting housing beneficiaries through specific calls, with the aim of expediting allocation, or Andalusia becoming «the first region to implement the new Next Generation refundable funds, facilitating the construction of affordable rental housing.»
Another novelty is the inclusion of housing projects in the Project Acceleration Unit, which «will halve the construction time for protected housing.» The conditions for this include residential projects of at least 250 protected homes or more than 500 homes with the corresponding land reservation for protected housing and additional sustainable urban development measures. Municipalities must commit to expediting all procedures within their jurisdiction for inclusion in the Project Acceleration Unit.
Finally, the Minister of Development noted that the decree-law expands the income limit to qualify for protected housing under general or limited schemes to allow more families who cannot access the free housing market to access protected housing, or the revision of territorial coefficients, which facilitate the construction of more protected housing.
Rocío Díaz defended that this set of measures stems «from dialogue and effectiveness» and represents a further step in the housing policy change initiated in 2019. Since then, the Andalusian Government «has tripled the promotion of protected housing in Andalusia» and has implemented measures that had not been applied until now, such as the «processing of 311 million euros in subsidies for 154 affordable rental housing developments.» Furthermore, the Ministry of Development has focused on residential rehabilitation through programs like the Ecovivienda Plan and enhanced protection for vulnerable groups. «This government has done the most to ensure access to housing in Andalusia,» added the minister, emphasizing «real measures that will bring real results.»
