The Territorial Commission of Urban Planning of Camp de Tarragona suspended on March 11 the final approval of the partial plan for sector C.3b Barranc dels Capellans, in Reus, a development that foresees housing, green areas, facilities, and new roads between Avenida dels Països Catalans, the road to Alcolea del Pinar, and Carrer de l'Argentera.
The halt comes when the project had already increased in size and also in protected housing, but not enough to comply with the new law. The ceiling reserve for official protection fell below the current minimum, now set at 50%, and this forces the developer, Orué Inversiones SL, to redo the proposal or justify it again before Urban Planning re-examines it.
The new law raised the minimum VPO reserve to 50%
Sources from the Department of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition specified that the law for adopting urgent measures in housing and urban planning, from 2025, raised the minimum reserve for official protection housing to 50%. That change is the reason for the suspension agreed upon by the territorial commission.
The plan had continued to advance in municipal processing. The Reus City Council approved it in December 2023 and authorized it again in November after considering several objections, but the regional review has now halted final approval.
The initial proposal included nearly 300 homes with a hundred for public protection. The latest version reached 408 apartments and 186 social housing units, a higher figure than before but still insufficient with the new legal threshold.
The sector foresees 408 apartments, green areas, and new roads next to the ravine
The urban development includes residential land, green spaces parallel to the Barranc dels Capellans, and reserves for public facilities. Among the planned uses are facilities linked to primary and higher education centers.
In addition, the planning proposes extending Carrer de la Ginesta, opening a road parallel to Carrer de l'Argentera with parking spaces, and adding a bike lane on Carrer de la Ginesta. The area affects one of the growth areas in the southern part of the city and coincides with another planned transformation on the other side of Carrer de l'Argentera.
There is projected the replacement of the current dissuasive parking with a residential and commercial complex with 136 homes, blocks of ground floor plus six floors and shops concentrated on the avenida dels Països Catalans.
The processing also affects the rented headquarters of Unió de Pagesos
Within the area of action is the headquarters that Unió de Pagesos occupies under a rental agreement. The future of the building will depend on the decision made by the owner once the project is definitively approved.
The Urban Planning department has already met with the union to inform them of the status of the processing. The new adjustment of the plan, however, lengthens the deadlines for the sector because the developer must present changes or justifications before a new examination by the commission.
When the plan obtains final approval, the urbanization works must start within a maximum of 18 months and be executed in three years, while the public protection housing must begin to be built before two years from when the plot acquires the condition of a building plot, with a maximum construction period of three years.