Compromís announced this Monday a "map of urban speculation" with which it intends to radiograph the projects and macro-projects that, in its view, are sheltered by the "perverse" and "speculative" land law approved by the Consell and that, according to the coalition's complaint, "threaten" Valencian territory. In addition, the formation commits to repealing this regulation if it comes to the government of the Generalitat after the 2027 regional elections.
At a press conference, the síndic of Compromís in Les Corts, Joan Baldoví, the spokesperson for spatial planning, Paula Espinosa, and the deputy Gerard Fullana criticized the PP's "haste" to push through land laws in the final stretches of the legislature. Against this model, they defended that the coalition proposes an alternative "that does not go through speculation" nor through "opaque businesses, but rather protecting people and the territory".
Coinciding with the end of the deadline to register amendments to the land law in Les Corts, Baldoví announced that Compromís will present a full amendment against a project that he described as "speculative and perverse" and that, as he said, "further favors the model" of the PP and its "accomplice" Vox. He accused these formations of relegating the right to a "dignified" home, "leaving citizens unprotected" and putting the territory "in the hands of speculators".
Espinosa detailed that the coalition will also register 80 partial amendments to the land law and insisted on the urgency of "changing course" in territorial policies in the face of the PP's "low cost urban planning," which, as she denounced, seeks "to change the legislation so that it is faster and easier to change the dynamic and there are fewer controls" and to opt for a model that is "expansive, developmentalist, deregulating and reminiscent of the real estate bubble".
Compromís's proposals are oriented toward a model that prioritizes the protection of the territory, flood prevention, control of large projects, and proper planning of water resources and public services. The coalition demands that the new land law serve to "guarantee the general interest and the right to housing, instead of facilitating new speculative operations on Valencian territory".
URBAN MORATORIUM IN THE AREAS AFFECTED BY THE DANA
Deputy Paula Espinosa has warned that the Consell's land law "aggravates" the problem of access to housing by not guaranteeing a sufficient public social housing stock and, at the same time, "pisses on" territorial planning.
Espinosa has called for an urban planning moratorium in the areas affected by the dana of October 29, 2024, so that new developments on flooded land are halted until the Patricova is updated and hydrological safety is demonstrated. Likewise, she has proposed safeguarding the huerta and protected agricultural land, limiting projects of regional interest, and preventing urban planning exceptions from being able to "distort" environmental protection.
Compromís also proposes reviewing the PAI inherited from the real estate bubble that "have piled up for decades without being carried out" and restoring limits to urban growth, so that any new development must justify "the real need for housing, the availability of water and the existence of sufficient public services".
ALICANTE CONCENTRATES HALF OF THE MEGA-PROJECTS
Deputy Gerard Fullana has underscored that approximately 50 percent of the mega-projects included in the "map of urban speculation" are located in the comarcas of Alicante, something that, in his view, "is no coincidence," since they are located in areas with the lowest per capita income in the Comunitat Valenciana.
He has stressed that the people linked to these developments coincide with the same ones "who appear with first and last names in the dossier" about the 'president' of the Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, and his entourage, in which alleged irregularities are gathered. "Alicante is one of the hot spots of this disguised urban planning law approved through the back door," he has stated.
Against this scenario, Fullana has announced that Compromís is working on an 'omnibus law' to reverse the PP and Vox measures in matters of land law, which would be processed within a period of six months from the arrival of the coalition in the government of the Generalitat. As he has explained, this norm will restore "rigor" to environmental impact statements after the "coup d'état against municipal autonomy" that, in his opinion, the new land law represents.
The "urban speculation map" drawn up by Compromís points to 25 "black spots" in the territory affected by large urban operations. With this tool, the coalition aims to make visible those projects it considers "incompatible with a sustainable territorial model" and demand their suspension or review, especially when there are "environmental risks, problems of water availability or unjustified occupation of the land".
THE PP DEFENDS THE RULE AND ACCUSES COMPROMÍS OF "ENTANGLING"
From the PP, the Housing spokesperson in Les Corts, Candela Anglés, has defended that the new land law means "a change of course in urban policy and a firm commitment to facilitate access to housing": "We cannot allow bureaucracy, endless procedures and the lack of legal certainty to continue being an obstacle to building".
In a statement, she has highlighted that "one of the great advances" of the rule is the simplification of procedures and the reduction of administrative deadlines. She has also emphasized the commitment to protected housing and its "leading role": "It is not enough to talk about helping young people and families, land, resources and tools must be put in place so that those homes can be built".
Another of the elements she has highlighted is the specific attention to the rural environment. "We cannot apply the same requirements to a big city as to a small municipality that needs to grow, attract population and offer opportunities to its neighbors. The law understands that urban planning must also be a tool against depopulation and in favor of territorial equality", she pointed out.
Anglés has recalled that the Generalitat has initiated the procedure to review the Patricova, which foresees "an increase of more than 60 percent in the surface identified as flood-prone compared to the previous mapping". "Let no one try to confuse citizens: facilitating the construction of housing does not mean building where one should not. Where there is risk and building cannot be done, it will not be built. People's safety is above any urbanistic interest", she assured.
For this reason, he has accused Compromís of "insisting on causing confusion and seeking controversy where there is responsibility and planning". "We work to have a more agile regulation, but also to have a more rigorous and updated risk map. It is possible to defend housing and protect the territory at the same time. What cannot be done is to use fear and demagoguery to block any progress", he stated.
Finally, he contrasted this approach with the eight years of Botànic government, which, according to what he criticized, had "the opportunity to respond to the housing problem and did not do so". "We are not going to resign ourselves or accept that an entire generation has difficulties to become independent. Housing is a priority for the PP, for this Consell and we demonstrate it with reforms, decisions and concrete measures, not with empty promises", he concluded.