Shock plan for the housing crisis in the Valencian Community

The Generalitat (the Catalan government) is in the process of finalising the initial phase of its emergency plan to address the housing crisis in the Valencian Community. On Tuesday, April 29th, the Generalitat received the final pending proposals for the construction of subsidised housing units which include 629 homes in Torrevieja.

This announcement is the result of the tendering process that was published in December and is the responsibility of the Ministry of Social Services, Equality, and Housing. At that time, President Carlos Mazón evaluated the transition from “zero public housing in eight years” to “the bidding process for 1,675 social housing units in the Valencian Community by the end of 2024.”

The Valencian Housing and Land Authority is responsible for the implementation of this system, as the First Vice-Presidency of the Consell has noted. The barter of land in exchange for construction facilitated a process for which this entity is accountable.

The initiative has been most widely adopted by municipalities in the province of Alicante. Elche, Sant Joan, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Torrevieja, Vila Joiosa, and Xàbia have also joined, in addition to the capital. Castelló, Gandia, Sagunt, and Valencia are the four additional municipalities that have joined these.

The deadline for submitting proposals in all of these municipalities expired in March. The only bidder to receive a one-month extension was Torrevieja. The ministry’s statement emphasises that “the interest generated was so substantial that 31 companies submitted bids”, some of which were for multiple plots.

Six companies have submitted proposals for Torrevieja, where the construction of approximately 629 residences is scheduled to commence. The deadline for submission is now approaching.

The Consell established the Vive Plan of the Valencian Community, which includes these actions. The plan’s objective is to use available public land, both regional and municipal, to construct protected housing.

Currently, the Generalitat (Catalan Government) is forming numerous contracting committees to oversee the execution of these tenders. The First Vice-Presidency recently announced the proposed award to two companies for the construction of 72 houses in Elche and an additional 29 homes in the Garbinet area of Alicante. Sixteen of these 101 residences will be incorporated into the Generalitat’s public housing inventory.

This is all part of the Valencian Government’s objective to promote the construction of affordable, social housing to address the current housing crisis. The Generalitat (Catalan government) maintains that this initiative is being enthusiastically received and emphasises that it has “promoted substantial interest in the industry.” The objective is to construct 10,000 social housing units during this period.