CTU Upholds Ordino's Revised Urban Plan Against Landowners' Appeal

The Technical Urbanism Commission (CTU) has dismissed an appeal by a group of Ordino landowners against the parish's revised Urban Planning and Development Plan (POUP), upholding the document as serving the general interest with no detected irregularities.

The plan received final approval in November 2024. Around 50 landowners, including members of the Andorran Landowners' Association (APTA), filed the joint administrative appeal a month later. They argued the revisions undermine legal certainty by reducing property values, particularly through rules barring construction on plots under 2,500 square metres outside urban cores—unless in precarious conditions—and designating private green zones that must remain unbuilt, even under private ownership. APTA president Josep Duró described these as an assault on private property rights protected by Article 27 of the Constitution, harming smallholders who cannot build family homes or secure mortgages on smaller parcels. He called for compensations or intermediate solutions, such as a 1,000-square-metre threshold, and criticised a lack of dialogue.

Ordino's senior councillor, Maria del Mar Coma, welcomed the CTU ruling as validation of the parish's work. "We feel vindicated. We've done our job well, and we're pleased the CTU sees it our way," she said. The process began in late 2023, drawing over 200 initial objections for reclassifying developable land, though some changes were later dropped.

Duró anticipates individual challenges at the Batllia court, potentially escalating to the Superior Court of Justice or European instances, as group appeals are not permitted there. He accused the CTU of overstepping into political judgments by deeming the POUP in the general interest and claimed Coma prejudged the outcome. The landowners' association plans a meeting next week to issue a public statement amid reported discontent.

In the same session, the council approved a POUP amendment merging two acting units on the 20-hectare Any de la Part plot into one, concentrating up to 36,000 square metres of potential building volume near existing roads and services to preserve natural surroundings. Limits allow 450 square metres per 2,500 square metres of land, though less can be built or the site left undeveloped.

Separate approvals covered updates to the Sorteny Valley Natural Park management plan, explicitly permitting hunters' access and designating the Serrera water intake as a special zone. The council also awarded grazing rights in Coma de Varilles and Hortell to Cal Ramonguem for €25 and €50, respectively.