Estepona Town Hall Accuses PSOE of Blocking the Construction of 1,500 Social Housing Units
The urban planning management of the PSOE from 2005 to 2007 continues to affect the municipality's ability to offer social housing.
Estepona Town Hall has accused the former Socialist administration of blocking the construction of over 1,500 social housing units (VPO). The decision not to reserve land for VPO in urban planning projects approved between 2005 and 2007 has impacted current urban development.
Accusations Against PSOE’s Management
The current Estepona government, led by Deputy Mayor Ana Velasco, has pointed to the Socialist administration's urban planning management between 2005 and 2007 as the main cause for the inability to build over 1,500 social housing units (VPO).
The criticism focuses on the fast-tracked approval of 13 partial urban planning projects that favored private developers without requiring them to reserve land for VPO, as mandated by the Andalusian Urban Planning Law (LOUA). “Had the law been applied, the Town Hall would have been able to require developers to allocate 30% of their projects for social housing,” Velasco explained.
During this period, the PSOE approved projects for 5,089 housing units but did not apply the existing regulations that would have allowed for the construction of 1,527 VPO units. Instead, they took advantage of a transitional clause in the law to speed up the approval process and avoid this obligation.
The Consequences of Urban Planning Legacy
According to the current administration, these decisions are still a major obstacle for the city. "PSOE left an urban planning burden that now forces us to continue processing these plans, which did not allocate space for social housing," the deputy mayor lamented.
Although Estepona Town Hall has not approved new partial plans with the same characteristics, the inherited projects remain pending, limiting the city’s capacity to offer more social housing at a time of high demand.
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Despite these challenges, the local government has made progress in creating new social housing. A municipal plot in the Juan Benítez sector has been allocated for the construction of 110 VPO units, and another project is being developed in the Camino de Cortes area.
Additionally, the Town Hall has implemented measures to speed up the construction of social housing in rental schemes, thanks to the Andalusian Regional Government’s Decree-Law 1/2025, which allows for public land currently designated for public facilities to be used for social housing without needing to modify urban planning regulations.
Estepona Town Hall remains committed to improving access to housing through the construction of VPO units and continues to take steps to move forward in this area. New initiatives and ongoing projects aim to offer housing solutions for the city’s residents, with a special focus on those in need.
For more information, interested parties can contact the Town Hall’s Department of Development and Infrastructure.