THE SPANISH PLANNING PROCESS

Since 1997 the urban planning activities in Spain have been the responsibility, of the Spanish Regional Governments called “Autonomous Communities” (AC). There are 17 AC in Spain. Each one is responsible of the development and approval of the laws concerning land use.  Within each AC, urban planning is developed at a local level by the Town Councils, although it must be approved by the Government of the AC in order to come into effect.  Therefore, the Urban Planning process is a hierarchical one, with different plans concerning regional and local scales. There are no regional-scale Urban Development plans; this means that the Town Councils are responsible for urban planning.

Now, this is where the term “a variation on a theme” may be used.  If you wish to reform or extend a new property or indeed build a new property you must consult the urban planning department of your local Town Hall as to what the regulations are.

All too often a client will purchase a plot of land wanting to build a house similar to those in the neighbourhood only to find that he cannot as the neighbouring properties are all illegally built… Many people do not uphold the planning laws and hence, purchasers can become innocent victims.  Poveda Vicedo can assist in researching the local planning laws and advise accordingly preventing a costly mistake.