Alicante has closed nine holiday flats and is pursuing cases involving fines of up to 600,000 euros

Among the figures provided by the councillor for urban planning, Antonio Peral, the opening of 57 investigation proceedings into various tourist properties stands out, along with a further 26 penalty proceedings, where very serious infringements can result in fines of up to 600,000 euros.

The figures come after the council assumed the powers to penalise this activity in February. In addition to this authority, there is a moratorium on new licences, during which, as the councillor explained, all applications for planning permission submitted for properties intended for tourist use have been refused.

The next step will be to approve the regulations setting out where and under what conditions new accommodation facilities may be established. "We will approve the new regulations governing tourism in the city before the end of the year," announced Peral.

The local authority's report details nine suspensions of activity resulting from the disciplinary proceedings. The urban planning department also said that four proceedings have been initiated for very serious offences and a further seven are pending initiation, six of which relate to very serious offences. In addition, it records eight closed cases.

According to information from the local council, very serious proceedings that have already been initiated have a minimum processing time of six months. The council maintains that these may result in penalties within the framework established by the Catalan Government, the amount of which may reach 600,000 euros.

Peral defended the council's actions to regulate the sector. The council, he pointed out, "set itself the objective for this term of office of regulating and organising holiday accommodation, as well as all other activities linked to this sector, and we have taken decisive measures that are proving successful".

The proposed regulation sets out a change to the distribution of accommodation units across the city. The text sets a maximum ratio of 0.187 tourist beds per inhabitant - that is, the equivalent of 18.7 per 100 residents - and prohibits the addition of new beds in areas that exceed this threshold, with specific exceptions for three-, four- and five-star hotels.

The proposal also restricts tourist uses in ground-floor premises. In this regard, such uses are prohibited on the ground floors of the main commercial high streets. For accommodation situated in residential buildings, it requires a separate entrance as a condition for obtaining a licence.

These measures form part of amendment 52 to the general plan, which was initially approved in December 2025 and is pending final approval. Peral has revealed that the council is already implementing a monthly inspection programme linked to this process.

The licence suspension came into effect in December 2024 for the holiday lets located in residential buildings, and is set to last for two years. In July 2025, this was extended to include blocks of flats, guesthouses and tourist hostels, without changing the initial duration.

This moratorium was introduced to allow time for the new regulations to be drawn up, and since the moratorium on the suspension of licences for VUTs came into force, all planning consent applications submitted for this activity have been refused.