Sant Julià de Lòria Mayor Rules Out More High-Rises Beyond Borda Huguet Exception

Sant Julià de Lòria's mayor consell, Cerni Cairat, has stated that the parish will not pursue additional urban developments like the high-rise project at Borda Huguet, known as Edifici Llaureda. He emphasised that new buildings elsewhere must adhere to the current limit of ground floor plus six storeys.

Cairat described the approved complex—three blocks reaching up to ten storeys on the former Borda Huguet site near the future Rocafort tunnel entrance—as a unique exception in the parish. The project, which includes 120 homes and parking spaces, stemmed from 2022 modifications to the local urban planning ordinance (POUP). These changes allowed redistributed heights and volumes on the plot, following an agreement among the parish council, government and property owners to compensate for land lost to a new road.

Once the application cleared all stages in 2024 and secured favourable sectoral reports from the government, the council could not block it. "We could not oppose it without causing harm to the administration," Cairat said.

He noted that consolidated urban land across Sant Julià de Lòria follows uniform height restrictions of ground floor plus six storeys. No other plots currently permit such elevated buildability.

Cairat linked the project's viability to the new road, with designs already accounting for building access and exits. Parking and tunnel connections will be addressed later through mobility discussions with the government.

Speaking ahead of the inaugural meeting of the POUP advisory council yesterday in Sala Sergi Mas, Cairat said the ongoing review—aiming for provisional approval by year-end and final adoption in 2027—must prevent future exceptions. The council, drawn from economic, social and cultural sectors, will meet four times this year to shape principles on housing, heritage, public facilities, landscape, natural areas and mobility.

The process includes public consultation, allegations and technical studies on load capacity. Key questions include whether to allow taller buildings to free up ground space or prioritise lower-rise development, alongside needs for parking, equipment and internal mobility.

Cairat did not specify construction timelines, noting they rest with the promoter. The review builds on the original 2006 POUP, revised in 2015, with a horizon to 2040.