Government identifies 665 sites to build over 21k public housing units across Catalonia

The Catalan government already has 665 grounds across Catalonia to be able to build 21,289 public housing units, half of the ones promised by 2030.

A total of 226 municipalities in the territory have already offered enough land to build half of the 50,000 units announced by Catalan president Salvador Illa during October's General Policy Debate.

This is "a step forward," although "not sufficient," Illa said on Wednesday during the closing speech of the Cercle d'Economia business forum in Barcelona.

As the president said, out of the 665 different lands available, a quarter will be used to build public housing for those aged 35 or less, and 8% will be used to build housing for those in a vulnerable situation.

All grounds are ready to see construction starting "immediately."

Market intervention

During his speech, Illa, in front of businesspeople and decision-makers, did not rule out intervening in the market if "there was a market crash," such as the "clear example" seen with the housing market.

He did not rule out interventionism or market regulation, as the "government will try to be coherent and will always intervene if there is a market collapse."

The government will "make mistakes and do things that may not seem right," but it will "take over all responsibilities it has," Illa said.