The El Verger Town Council has approved a moratorium on the granting of reports and licences for new tourist accommodation (VUT). The measure was approved in the plenary session with votes in favour from Compromís and PSPV, while PP and Vox voted against. The decision responds to the impact that the growth of this type of accommodation is having on the rental market in the town.
According to the City Council, El Verger currently has 210 registered tourist homes, to which must be added those that are in the process of being registered and those that operate illegally. In the last six years (2018-2024), 149 VUTs have been registered, a significant increase compared to the 59 registered before the current regulations were enacted. This increase has contributed to the shortage of residential rentals and the rise in housing prices, they point out.
The municipal government has defended the moratorium as a necessary step to reform urban planning regulations and establish control mechanisms to curb touristification and gentrification. "We will not allow our town to become a stage set in which we are not even invited," the council has stated.
Regulation and objectives of the moratorium
The suspension of licenses will affect the granting of urban compatibility reports and any enabling title for the change of use of housing to VUT, in accordance with the provisions of article 68.1 of the consolidated text of the Law on territorial planning, urban planning and landscape, approved by Legislative Decree 1/2021, of June 18, of the Consell (TRLOTUP). The objective is to analyze and regulate the impact of tourism in the town to balance residential and tourist uses.
For this reason, it is proposed to regulate VUTs by introducing them into municipal urban planning, as a specific use that is different from the rest, establishing specific densities of VUTs in the different urban areas, with special emphasis on those that already show signs of tourist saturation or uncontrolled growth, as well as the introduction of specific regulations on independent access and services for VUTs in residential buildings that improve coexistence between visitors and residents.
This suspension does not affect licenses or other urban development permits whose purpose is to carry out any other type of action or implementation of a use other than tourist housing (VUT). Nor does it affect the development of new action programs.
This affects exclusively the type of tourist accommodation provided for in section 1.) of article 65 of DECREE LAW 9/2024, of August 2, of the Consell, modifying the regulations governing housing for tourist use, and does not affect the other types.
The suspension will last for a maximum of two years, although its effectiveness will depend on its publication in the Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana (DOGV). If a proposed regulation is not submitted for public display within one year, the suspension will be lifted.
The scope of the moratorium is limited to the traditional urban centre of El Verger, excluding the area known as El Boticari. In addition, it will not affect licences or applications submitted before its publication in the DOGV.
With this decision, El Verger joins other towns in the Marina Alta that seek to curb the negative effects of tourism on access to housing and the traditional way of life of the neighbourhood.
