Valencia Protects Residential Use of 2,250 Buildings in the Special Plan for Ciutat Vella

26 July 2018 – Inmodiario

The Special Protection Plan (PEP) for Ciutat Vella, in Valencia, is going to protect more than 2,250 properties that constitute the predominantly residential area in which “the compatibility of hotel use and residential use is not admissible. The professional use of tourist apartments is not permitted in any of them”.

That is according to the Councillor for Sustainable Urban Development, Vicent Sarrià, who was speaking at an information session aimed at local residents to share with them the document that is currently in its public consultation phase. Sarrià highlighted that it is the first plan that has involved active participation workshops, in which different groups from the district have intervened.

“One of the most important of the many challenges that the PEP for Ciutat Vella was meant to respond to was to maintain the residential fabric and recover the population, limiting the “tertiarisation” of the district and containing the expansion of tourist apartments”, said Sarrià, who explained that whilst the plan was being drafted and processed, “the granting of new licences was suspended, which stopped new requests in their tracks; that situation will continue until the definitive approval of the plan”.

Moreover, he added that the PEP “has responded by protecting the residential use of the majority of the buildings in the Carme neighbourhood, and most of the El Pilar (Velluters), Mercat and Seu Xerea districts”.

In this vein, he recalled that with the plan in force, “any residential building was susceptible to being converted into a hotel or tourist apartments”. “By contrast”, he continued, “the PEP removes that urban planning compatibility, except for in the Sant Francesc area, prohibiting its implementation and whereby ensuring the maintenance of its existing use and with it, the population of the historical centre” (…).

Original story: Inmodiario 

Translation: Carmel Drake