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

Guillem Forné, leader of the minority group on La Massana's communal council, has criticised the ruling majority's repeated rejections over four to five years of proposals to raise the mandatory land cession rate for new developments from 5% to 15%, a measure now in effect following provisional approval last December.

In comments to the Andorran News Agency (ANA), Forné called the change a core element of his group's election platform. He said he had never understood the majority's consistent opposition, despite their prior insistence that any increase required a complete revision of the parish's POUP master plan. The adjustment proceeded instead via a new zoning ordinance, without complications. "When we reviewed the proposal in the Urban Planning Commission, I thought: thank you, because I've been calling for this for years," Forné remarked.

Parish head Cònsol Major Eva Sansa justified the December decision by pointing to rising demands for equipment, open spaces, and infrastructure. Forné expressed surprise that the same councillors, who were in place during the earlier refusals, approved it so straightforwardly. "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 told ANA.

Forné linked the prolonged resistance to broader tensions, including a political split in the previous term amid pandemic pressures. He argued that earlier implementation would have secured far more land for public facilities and to support government housing initiatives.

As an illustration, he cited a planned large development in Arinsal, where the 5% rate would have provided only enough space for the existing chairlift base. At 15%, it could have enabled amenities such as plazas or multi-level car parks. Forné said the delay has had enduring effects on the parish's urban planning, now resolved without any unusual hurdles.