Escaldes-Engordany Consellera Defends Parish Role in Urban Planning Amid APTA Push

Rosa Gili, the major consellera of Escaldes-Engordany, has defended the role of parish councils in urban planning following a call from the Andorran Landowners' Association (APTA) for a new supra-parish technical-political body to coordinate territorial development.

Gili expressed respect for APTA's position but said she lacks details on the proposal, as she has not discussed it directly with the group. She questioned whether it implies shifting urban policy entirely to the national government. "Everyone is entitled to their view," she noted.

Parish councils, she argued, hold the most direct knowledge of local conditions. "We are the on-the-ground institution," Gili stressed, pointing out that they implement urban changes in line with citizen demands, electoral programmes and government guidelines, including parish load-capacity studies.

The comments come amid APTA's push for greater state-level coordination and less parish-level fragmentation during reviews of the LGOTU territorial organisation law and parish urban plans (POUP). APTA president Josep Duró advocated a shared body involving government and parishes to harmonise development and prevent each parish from acting independently.

Gili called for broader debate on Andorra's growth model, urging a decision on "what kind of country we want" before new laws or measures. She highlighted rapid population growth—from 70,000-75,000 residents not long ago to nearly 90,000 now—as a "madness" and pressed for a pause to "calm down" before further expansion.

While viewing the government as sometimes "distant from certain realities," she upheld parish-level urban planning powers and urged closer collaboration between parishes and the executive to shape the future and avoid excessive building and cementing that could let development "slip out of our hands." Gili made the remarks on Wednesday during the presentation of improvement works around Engolasters lake and the guard house, emphasising that parishes best understand territorial needs.