Administrative Simplification and Acceleration in Urban Planning and Housing. Report by Antoni Serra and Francesc Palau.

The new report prepared by Antoni Serra and Francesc Palau has been published.

It will be presented next Thursday, April 3 at 12:30 p.m., at the headquarters of the COAC (Official Association of Architects of Catalonia) in Barcelona.

The growing complexity and diversity of regulatory frameworks have progressively created an environment of difficulty and delays in the processing and resolution of both urban planning licenses and in the realm of land-use planning and its management instruments.

The protracted timelines for granting urban planning licenses consequently affect three major sectors: the economy, by stalling projects and creating uncertainty for productive activity; access to housing, by worsening the shortage of supply and hindering the construction of new homes; and planning violations, by encouraging irregular construction to avoid excessive waits.

In urban planning, the updating and revision of general plans, such as the POUM (Municipal Urban Planning Plan), are affected, resulting in a fragmentation of regulations through various specific modifications, which create a legally unclear and insecure environment. The increase in the number of involved bodies and the corresponding sectoral reports has prolonged and complicated planning processes, negatively impacting the necessary regulatory updates and renewal.

This report aims to help address this situation by identifying existing problems and proposing measures to streamline administrative processes.