The municipal plenary of Tarragona will decide this Friday, May 15, the provisional approval of the new Nàstic neighborhood. This urban growth sector, technically identified as PMU-34, will be submitted to the vote of the political groups to give the green light to the consolidated text.
The file was opened more than four years ago and is now moving towards its final phase after receiving the favorable report from the municipal Urban Planning services. The technicians have validated the plan as long as the conditions established in the different sectoral reports are met.
The Generalitat has the final say
The local administration does not close the process with this vote. The Territorial Urban Planning Commission of Campo de Tarragona will have the final competence to determine if the planning meets all legal requirements.
This autonomous body will assess whether the project can continue with the processing of the urbanization and replotting projects or if, on the contrary, it requires amending some specific aspect before moving forward.
"The Territorial Urban Planning Commission will decide if the plan is all ok" - Regional body
The affected area covers a total surface of 124,000 square meters located between the Via Augusta roundabout and the New Stadium. The planned development includes the creation of a green zone and the establishment of a commercial space near the aforementioned roundabout.
The conflict over protected housing
One of the most delicate points lies in the amount of public housing. The current project reserves 30% of the total 525 newly built homes for official protection. This figure amounts to 162 apartments.
The Sectoral Housing Plan of Catalonia sets a different guideline for municipalities with tension in the rental market. In sectors that affect consolidated urban land, as is the case here, the mandatory percentage increases to 40%.
This could mean going from 162 officially protected apartments to about 210. A change of this magnitude would substantially alter the economic expectations that the developers have generated around the operation.
The incorporation of this area within the Consolidated Urban Fabric (TUC) is also included in the text submitted for a vote. This technical decision will fall to the Generalitat's Directorate General of Commerce.
The tension between the economic viability of the project and the regulatory demands for social housing marks the debate prior to the plenary session. The political groups will have to weigh whether to accept the current conditions or to assume the financial impact that increasing the provision of protected housing would entail.