Valls City Council is prioritising five sites within its Historic Centre, with the capacity to build a total of 62 new homes. The council will submit three of these areas to the first call from the Generalitat for public land reservation, aiming to increase the supply of protected housing. It is also studying two additional sites, also in the Historic Centre, for a future Catalan government call.
The council is focusing on projects in five zones and has already presented the first three developments for the Generalitat's land reservation call, according to officials. These three areas, all fully owned by the municipality, have a combined capacity for approximately 40 homes.
Specifically, the three sites activated in this initial public land reservation call are: Carrer Pouet (numbers 3, 5, and 7); the plot at the corner of Carrer Santa Marina and Sant Francesc; and the Sant Antoni and Santa Úrsula area development. The latter is already under review by the Generalitat's Catalan Land Institute.
Future Housing Projects
The two other zones that the City Council expects to acquire ownership of shortly, allowing them to be presented in the Generalitat's next call for public land registration, are the plot between Carrer Sant Antoni and Santa Margarida, which can accommodate 8 homes, and the northern section of Plaça de l'Oli, with space for 13 homes.
The Generalitat has launched its first call for the registration of land in the public land reserve. This initiative aims to increase the supply of protected housing across Catalonia. This new mechanism will help promote the construction of affordable rental housing on available public land, with up to 100% financing for developments. It also guarantees the protection of land use and ownership.
Generalitat's Support for Affordable Housing
At least 25% of all homes built under this scheme will be for young people, and up to 10% can be reserved for families in vulnerable housing situations, according to the Generalitat. Public ownership of the land will be guaranteed, and with Generalitat aid, homes will be affordable rentals at below-market prices.
Generalitat subsidies to public and private operators will allow homes to be rented at a price lower than the market rate for each municipality. For every plot registered in the public reserve, the Generalitat will grant the developer a monthly subsidy. This subsidy is equivalent to the difference between the total usable area of the homes built on that plot multiplied by €10.65, and the maximum rent payable by tenants. This value will be updated in each call based on the Consumer Price Index, ensuring the rent is at least 20% below the municipal market rate.
After 28 years from the completion of construction, developers must pay a percentage of the collected rents into a Generalitat fund. This is to recover the subsidies granted and to compensate municipalities for their land contribution if they chose to entrust the Generalitat with the developer's selection.
Long-Term Affordability and Financing
The aid will be reviewed over the 75-year concession period to ensure housing affordability, based on market changes and the economic sustainability of the developments. For plots where the developer has received financing from the Catalan Finance Institute, the developer will receive a subsidy for 20 years in the form of an interest rate bonus on the granted loan for each registered plot. For this year's call, the bonus is 1.5 percentage points.
This initiative in Valls, supported by the Generalitat, represents a significant step towards addressing housing needs in the city's Historic Centre. The focus on public land and long-term affordability aims to provide stable housing options for residents, particularly young people and vulnerable families.
