Lleida City Council has initially approved a new Municipal Urban Planning Plan (POUM), which projects the creation of up to 34,185 new homes and 600 hectares of industrial land over the next 20 years. The plan received 18 votes in favour from the governing PSC, PP, and Junts parties.
This document, which will define the city's growth, also anticipates the creation of 11,257 jobs and could see Lleida's population reach a maximum of 212,938 residents. Key projects include the station plan, the relocation of the Fira trade fair, and the reorganisation of Turó de Gardeny. The plan will now enter a public information period for objections before a provisional approval vote, expected before the end of the year. Final approval will come from the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Cross-Party Support and Criticisms
The vote proceeded as expected, with PP and Junts having previously announced their support after improvements to Gardeny and the station plan were included. ERC and Vox abstained, while Comú voted against the plan. Deputy Mayor Begoña Iglesias described it as "the POUM of consensus, what the city needs, for growth, for the preservation of the Horta agricultural area and housing." She also highlighted the need for more industrial land, noting that only 11,000 square metres are currently available, all privately owned in the Torre Solé industrial estate.
Xavi Palau, leader of the opposition and the PP, stated that "Lleida needs to review its urban priorities" and that the plan "provides ideas in housing, industrial land, and technical reasons that make it impossible to say no politically." In contrast, ERC spokesperson Jordina Freixanet criticised the plan as "the POUM of square metres, but not of people; growing more does not mean living better," adding that it "has old logics and has been agreed with the right-wing parties."
Junts spokesperson Violant Cervera expressed satisfaction that the document included their priorities, such as the station plan, more industrial land, and protection for the Horta. "Lleida cannot continue to grow with a 20th-century outlook, and we are satisfied with the contributions included in the plan," she said.
Vox spokesperson Gloria Rico justified her party's abstention by stating it was "not our city model," while Comú's Laura Bergés voted against it, calling the plan "obsolete and typical of the last century."
New Industrial Consortia and Renewable Energy
The council also approved the creation of a collaboration agreement between the Paeria (Lleida City Council), the Chamber of Commerce, and the Generalitat for the governance of the future Torreblanca industrial estate. This point passed with votes in favour from PSC and Vox, against from Comú, and abstentions from the remaining groups. Most opposition groups abstained because they sought greater decision-making power for the Paeria and the Diputació in the consortium, as well as more transparency in the document's preparation. Mayor Fèlix Larrosa noted that he proposed this initiative to the Generalitat, calling it an unprecedented tool, and that governance "will be defined as the parcelling project, urbanisation, and other procedures" for the estate progress.
Furthermore, the council unanimously supported a motion from the Lleida Contra la MAT Platform to object to the Sectoral Territorial Plan for the Implementation of Renewable Energies in Catalonia (PLATER). The platform argues that the current proposal suggests a "disproportionate" deployment of renewable energy facilities in the Segrià region, leading to the loss of agricultural land. "Renewables yes, but not like this," stated Adrià Drago and David Poca, members of the platform. All groups agreed that the PLATER should promote a sustainable and territorially balanced energy model.
Other unanimous approvals included a motion from the Secà de Sant Pere neighbourhood and pensioners' associations to permanently close the Juanjo Garra pavilion car park for community events. The council also approved a temporary staffing programme to manage aid from the Neighbourhood Plan and the Integrated Development Strategy (EDIL), along with an ERC motion to improve climate control in educational centres.
