Canillo Landowners Protest Urban Planning Cuts Slashing Plot Values

A group of small landowners in Canillo has raised strong objections to the latest changes in the parish's urban planning ordinance (POUP), warning that the updates impose a sharp and widespread cut in building capacity, slashing the value of their plots.

In a letter to the parish's senior councillor, Jordi Alcobé, the owners acknowledge the need to curb uncontrolled growth but argue the local council has overreached. They highlight three main issues: the reduction of allowable building area in old village centres from 100% to 50% of plot size, which they say could make construction unviable on small sites; the doubling of minimum plot sizes for building in high-mountain valleys from 3,000 to 6,000 square metres, particularly problematic where natural hazards affect land; and a ban on demolishing old houses, barns or threshing floors lacking patrimonial value, further eroding property worth.

The landowners claim the changes amount to a full revision of the POUP, as they alter core parameters including minimum plot sizes, maximum floor occupancy, building heights, facades, permitted uses, land cessions and unit allocations. Under Andorra's General Law on Land Use and Urban Planning (LGOTU), revisions can occur only every four years to allow councils to assess measures and owners to adapt projects, providing legal certainty. Yet this modification comes just two years after the 2023 revision—which already sharply reduced capacity on developable land—and follows earlier tweaks in 2011, 2019, 2023 and 2024. The group says owners face "defencelessness" in modifications, which skip the public allegation period required for revisions.

The letter questions whether the council evaluated the impact on specific plots, stressing that preserving heritage for future generations should not diminish inherited asset values.

Canillo council stands ready to meet the affected owners. It describes the POUP as a living document open to improvements and notes the changes, approved on 21 January, aim to lower construction density, blend new builds into the landscape, align growth with natural resources, uphold the mountain village identity and protect patrimonial value. The rules now prioritise residential use in urban areas, raising it from 17% to 72%, while curbing hotels and commercial developments.

Canillo's first POUP dates to 2007, with its sole revision in 2023. A new one could follow in two years.