€19.17 Million Held as Financial Buffer

The Ajuntament de Tarragona has set aside €19,171,143 to cover urban planning claims and legal challenges stemming from the 2020 Supreme Court ruling that annulled the city’s 2013 Pla d’Ordenació Urbanística Municipal (POUM). Although no final court judgments have been issued, the municipal auditor has classified the claims as financial contingencies due to their potential impact on the city’s budget. This reserve is not based on enforceable rulings but on formal claims submitted by developers whose projects were halted. The largest single claim comes from Mas Maneguet SA, the promoter of the Mas d’en Sorder development, which seeks €7,810,286 for a stalled project next to the Costa Daurada golf course.

Major Projects Behind the Claims

The Mas d’en Sorder project, known as Plan Parcial Urbanístic (PPU)-43, had secured final approval by administrative silence and was awaiting only a construction permit when work stopped. It aimed to convert a historic farmhouse into a boutique hotel and build 236 homes. The city’s current government, led by Mayor Rubén Viñuales, is now negotiating to reintegrate the sector into the new POUM, shifting the housing component from single-family to multi-family units. Another significant claim comes from Terbuluc SL, which is seeking €3,652,897.65 plus interest over the suspension of the Culubret development. That project, combining construction materials sales and residential growth, had projected a €15 million investment and 250 jobs. José Luis García Martínez, representing compensation boards for La Budellera and Vall del Llorito, has filed a claim for €1,092,806.59, citing unrecovered costs from planning applications invalidated by the POUM’s annulment.

  • Mas d’en Sorder: €7.81 million
  • Culubret: €3.65 million
  • La Budellera and Vall del Llorito: €1.09 million
  • Historic centre property damage (Civaderia and Escrivanies Velles): €1.2 million
  • Other urban procedures: €5 million
  • Expropriation disputes: €198,962
The objective is to recover Mas d’en Sorder as a heritage asset while respecting the environment and the Anella Verda.

, Nacho García Latorre, Councillor for Territory, Ajuntament de Tarragona

Political and Urban Planning Tensions

The inclusion of Mas d’en Sorder in the new POUM has become a political flashpoint. While Junts per Catalunya supports the development, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and En Comú Podem oppose residential construction in the area, advocating instead to preserve the Anella Verda as non-developable green space. The city council’s decision to revive the sector follows nearly a year of negotiations with opposition parties. The government aims to secure broad consensus ahead of the new POUM’s initial approval, expected later this year. Meanwhile, smaller claims cover expropriation disputes and property damage from a 2021 stormwater drainage operation that led to the demolition of shared walls in the old town. These cases reflect the ongoing legal and financial ripple effects of the 2020 Supreme Court decision, which invalidated years of urban planning activity in Tarragona.

Reported by apdnoticies.com, diaridetarragona.com, diarimes.com, APD Noticies.