The Parliament of Andalusia has validated the urgent decree law on housing measures, which aims to expand the supply with 20,000 new affordable homes in five years. The Minister of Development, Territorial Articulation and Housing, Rocío Díaz, reported in the Plenary session on a shock plan «made with dialogue, consensus, and a lot of effort», while also calling on municipalities to adhere to measures that «facilitate and expedite the development of urbanized land to promote the construction of affordable housing.»
Rocío Díaz has stated that housing «is one of the great challenges of our time» and, in the face 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». In this regard, 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 the current challenges in housing» with «effective solutions» that will be included in the future Housing Law of Andalusia, such as seeking alternatives to address the lack of available land for affordable housing. At this point, Rocío Díaz highlighted «the key role of municipalities» in urban planning, providing them with tools «to utilize 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 affordable housing has been facilitated and expedited.» Thus, a series of regulatory changes have been introduced that will allow land or buildings currently used as tourist accommodation or offices to be allocated for affordable housing. It will also be possible to permanently allocate private or public land without a specific purpose for affordable rental housing. In no case will this apply to plots used for educational or health purposes, the Minister of Development clarified.
Additionally, the decree-law will allow plots of free housing to increase the density of housing by 20% and their proportional buildability if designated for official protection. There will also be advantages for plots of affordable housing, which can increase the density of housing by 20% and buildability by 10%.
The minister reiterated that the implementation of these measures in terms of land will require the collaboration and involvement of municipalities, which must adhere to them through a municipal agreement within a maximum period 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 an important 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. In the initial phase, municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants will participate, with three months to provide the necessary information and available land. From there, six months are set for the publication of the bank, which will then be expanded and completed with data that other Andalusian municipalities can provide.
Rocío Díaz also mentioned other significant measures, such as the inclusion of a more abbreviated procedure for selecting recipients of housing through specific calls, aiming to expedite the allocation process, or for Andalusia to become «the first region to implement the new Next Generation repayable 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 affordable housing.» The conditions for this are that residential projects consist of at least 250 affordable homes or more than 500 homes if they have the corresponding land reserve for affordable housing and implement additional sustainable urban development measures. This inclusion in the Project Acceleration Unit must be accompanied by the commitment of the municipality to expedite all procedures within its jurisdiction.
Finally, the Minister of Development noted that, with the decree-law, the income limit to qualify for affordable housing in the general or limited regime is expanded to allow more families who cannot access the free housing market to have access to affordable housing, or the revision of territorial coefficients, which facilitates the construction of more affordable housing.
Rocío Díaz defended that this set of measures arises «from dialogue and efficiency» and takes a further step in the change in housing policies that began in 2019. Since then, the Andalusian government «has tripled the promotion of affordable housing in Andalusia» and has implemented measures that had not been applied until now, such as the «processing of 311 million euros in grants for 154 affordable housing developments.» In addition, the Ministry of Development has focused on residential rehabilitation with programs like the Ecohousing Plan and has strengthened protection for vulnerable groups. «This government has done the most to ensure access to housing in Andalusia,» added the minister, who defended «real measures that will bring real results.»