La Massana Raises Land Cession Rate to 15% After Years of Opposition Delays

Guillem Forné, leader of La Massana's minority group on the communal council, has renewed criticism of the ruling majority's opposition over four to five years to raising the mandatory land cession rate for new developments from 5% to 15%. The measure took effect after provisional approval in December via a new zoning ordinance.

Speaking to the Andorran News Agency (ANA), Forné described the change as a key plank in his group's election platform. He expressed ongoing bafflement at the majority's repeated refusals, which had hinged on claims that any increase required a full overhaul of the parish's POUP master plan. "It turns out it could be done after all. They passed it in December, made the change, and now it's active—no issues," he said. Forné noted his surprise that the same councillors, in office during prior rejections, approved it without complications during Urban Planning Commission review. "When we worked on it in the commission and they handed over the proposal, I thought: thank you, because I've been calling for this for years," he added.

Parish head Cònsol Major Eva Sansa had justified the December decision by citing growing needs for equipment, open spaces, and infrastructure. Forné linked the earlier resistance to wider tensions, including a political rift in the previous term exacerbated by pandemic-era pressures. He argued the delay cost the parish significant public land that could have supported facilities and government housing initiatives.

For instance, Forné pointed to a proposed large-scale development in Arinsal, where the old 5% rate would have yielded only enough space for the current chairlift base. At 15%, it could have funded plazas, multi-level car parks, or other amenities. He lamented the lost opportunities for urban planning, especially amid national debates on real estate growth and affordable housing shortages. The opposition leader stressed that earlier action would have built a larger reserve of public land for essential services without any extraordinary hurdles.