Land protection on the agenda
Councillor highlights ‘respecting the environment’ and ensuring residents can participate in the elaboration of development plans
A TOTAL of 36 million square metres of land in the Valencia region has been saved from builders’ bulldozers since 2015, according to councillor for public works, land and housing María José Salvador.
Sra Salvador said that since coming to power the SocialistCompromís coalition has put an end to the savage construction policies of the former regional government and ‘moved towards sustainable development’.
“We have preserved land which is equivalent to 10% of the surface area of the Valencia region,” said the councillor.
Sra Salvador explained that this was done by approving plans ‘which actively protect land’.
The councillor highlighted the Pativel scheme which has protected large swathes of land along the coast, as well as the modification of the region’s land/building law (Ley de Urbanismo – Lotup). These actions gave them the tools they needed ‘for the new model of development’ which has been advanced during this legislature ‘to put an end to the destruction’ of natural heritage.
“Territorial development commissions prevented the reclassification of more than 36 million m2 of land because it had not been demonstrated that this was needed for construction, or because it was considered that it would exceed the growth that was needed in our overall strategy,” she stated.
Sra Salvador explained that the situation they encountered when they came to power in 2015 was ‘unsustainable’ following ‘20 years of predatory development which was not at all respectful of the environment’.
She explained that between 1995 and 2015 a total of 108 million m2 of non-urban land had been reclassified so it could be built on – and this had been done by adapting Town Plans (PGOU), meaning this had occurred ‘outside’ the remit of the regional planning policy.
The councillor claimed that the ‘construction chaos’ in the region had led to the property boom which helped cause the economic crash in 2008.
She noted that in the rush to build, plans had been passed without the necessary legal reports.
“We have put measures in place to recover legal security in town planning and ensure its public function,” she said.
This has to be done by ‘respecting the environment, talking to the people and ensuring that residents can participate in the elaboration and approval of development plans and projects’.