Sant Julià de Lòria Approves POUP Changes for Suspended Plot Builds

Sant Julià de Lòria's communal council has approved modifications to the Parish Urban Planning and Organisation Plan (POUP), introducing "volumetric ordering projects" to enable development on plots under building permit suspensions while securing public land donations.

The changes, passed this morning with votes from the ruling majority and abstentions by opposition members, create a new mechanism for negotiating custom urban planning sheets with property owners. These require a minimum 15% land cession for public facilities such as sports areas, health centres, plazas, and parks. Provisions also allow for higher cessations in return for administrative incentives.

Cònsol Major Cerni Cairat described the tool as a way to align private development goals with parish priorities, particularly for suspended plots. He stressed that suspensions remain active until agreements produce new sheets satisfying both parties, at which point restrictions could lift. The council will now hold individual talks with owners of key undeveloped sites, including those near the Escola Andorrana de primera ensenyança, Plaça de la Germandat, and the Escola Francesa.

Opposition councillor Josep Majoral cited two reasons for abstaining: limited access to urban planning commission discussions amid past departmental staffing shortages, and a second POUP amendment within two months, which he argued creates public uncertainty and unease. Majoral urged finalising the full plan through public consultation to set definitive rules, rather than applying incremental fixes that leave citizens feeling unprotected.

Cairat countered that the measures enhance public infrastructure for everyone's benefit without undermining owners' rights. The urban planning department has stabilised with recent hires, including a new head and two technicians, following years of delays. Its former head faces ongoing criminal probes over alleged irregularities, such as permits on non-buildable land and misuse of the Rabassa landfill, alongside council proceedings.