Manilva approves suspension of tourist housing licences in 'saturated areas' for up to three years

The December council meeting of Manilva town hall has approved, with the votes against of Vox, a new bylaw regulating tourist apartment licences and the rental of rooms in dwellings for tourist use.

Urban planning councillor Juan Carlos Morejón stated that the creation of this regulation can be justified by the growth of Manilva in recent years, "which has led to saturation in many areas of the municipality, especially in areas where there are fewer hotels and where the use of tourist housing has increased".

"Today it is difficult for us to comply with the constitutional right to have a home and this tool will allow us to regulate, limit and protect this right," he said.

Alba Jiménez said that her team (PSOE) supports the bylaw due to the tension created by the abuse of housing for tourist purposes, which often motivates visitors to "stop coming and look for cheaper alternatives in other areas".

PP spokesperson José Manuel Fernández agreed and said that "affordable housing is necessary for Manilva".

"It is essential to regulate tourist housing because it is a business that is good for the municipality, but it cannot go against decent access to housing that can be paid for with a normal salary," Compromiso Manilva spokesperson Marcos Ruiz said.

According to Vox, tourist housing should only be regulated within residential areas and not within the hospitality sector, "as this could create problems for the town hall and for the owners in the future". "Furthermore, we do not agree with the definition given in the bylaw on housing for tourist use," Vox spokesperson Antonio Marín said.

The new regulation also proposes to suspend, for a maximum of three years, requests for planning permission in the areas of "maximum tension" for access to housing in Manilva, such as Chullera, Algorrín and Castillo de la Duquesa, classified as red tension zones, and Sabinillas, as a yellow tension zone.