The Catalan government has approved a new decree‑law to streamline urban planning regulations in rural municipalities and facilitate housing development in small towns. The government states that the measure will reduce red tape, adapt planning to the realities of rural life and combat depopulation in up to 590 Catalan municipalities classified as rural.
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The main innovation of the decree is the creation of a new urban planning model specifically for small municipalities, designed for local councils with less technical and administrative capacity. According to the Catalan government, this system aims to simplify procedures and provide local authorities with more efficient tools to promote housing and economic activity.
The Minister of Territory, Ecological Transition and Housing, and government spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, argued that the text incorporates many long‑standing demands from rural municipalities. “We are simplifying urban planning instruments and facilitating construction,” she stated following the Executive Council meeting.
The decree also opens the door to relaxing certain regulations on non‑developable land and facilitating the rehabilitation of farmhouses, rural homes and existing buildings – one of the main concerns raised by small municipalities for years. The aim is to encourage residents to remain in these areas and prevent population decline in rural Catalonia.
In addition to urban planning reforms, the new regulations include measures to reduce administrative burdens and streamline public procurement processes in rural municipalities, many of which operate with very limited technical capacity. The Catalan government argues that current regulations were designed for larger cities and create a “bureaucratic overload” in rural areas.
The government frames the measure as part of a broader strategy to promote territorial balance and increase housing supply outside major urban centres. In fact, the announcement comes just days after the Generalitat launched a tender to develop 783 public housing units across 59 plots in 40 municipalities. The decree must now be ratified by the Parliament of Catalonia in order to continue its legislative process.
