Castro-Urdiales blocks housing on rural land

Castro Urdiales voted on April 28 to give final approval to a municipal ordinance that blocks new housing development on its rural land. (ondacerocastro.com) (castropuntoradio.es) The April plenary approved the rule with votes from PSOE, Castro Verde, the Regionalist Party of Cantabria and Ciudadanos; only the People’s Party voted against. (ondacerocastro.com) (castropuntoradio.es) Councillors first approved the ordinance on January 30, 2026, then opened a 30-day public comment period after publication in the Official Gazette of Cantabria on February 26. (castro-urdiales.net) Final approval came after the council rejected two objections filed during that exposure period. (ondacerocastro.com) The legal fight is about “suelo rústico ordinario,” the non-urban land around the town that regional law now allows to be developed more easily. Cantabria’s Law 5/2022, later amended in 2024 and 2025, opened the door to detached homes on rural plots with a general minimum size of 2,000 square meters. (ondacerocastro.com) (europapress.es) Castro Urdiales used article 51.4 of that same regional law to set stricter local limits than the regional default. Urban planning councillor Eduardo Amor said the town has “little” ordinary rural land left and should not let houses spread across it. (ondacerocastro.com) (castropuntoradio.es) Government parties framed the measure as a response to what they call a regional liberalization of land use. PSOE councillor Pablo Antuñano said the town wanted “urbanismo ordenado,” or orderly planning, instead of scattered building in rural areas. (castropuntoradio.es) (ondacerocastro.com) The People’s Party said it respected the ordinance but disputed the government’s case for it. PP councillor Cristian Antuñano argued the process was “erróneo” and said not every rural-land intervention is aimed at building detached homes. (ondacerocastro.com) Environmental group SEO/BirdLife supported the idea of tighter protection but said the ordinance should also address older illegal construction cases. The group said unresolved files remain in places including Sonabia, Oriñón, Islares and Sámano. (europapress.es) With the April 28 vote, Castro Urdiales says it is now the first municipality in Cantabria with its own ordinance specifically protecting rural land from new housing growth. (cantabriaeconomica.com) (castropuntoradio.es)