A few days ago, the Santa Cristina d'Aro Town Council provisionally approved its Municipal Urban Planning Plan (POUM), which will define the municipality's development model for the coming years. According to reports published in Diari de Girona and El Punt Avui, the political groups supporting the plan favour a model based on controlled growth reduction. This approach is also reflected in the documentation of the new POUM, which is available on the Town Council's website.

Discussions about limiting urban growth, reducing development land or reclassifying land are often presented as positive planning objectives. Preserving the landscape and protecting the environment are goals that enjoy broad public support. However, it is equally important to achieve a balance that guarantees access to housing, whether for rent or purchase, at prices that remain affordable for local residents.

This development model creates a contradiction for all those involved in approving the POUM—including elected representatives, planning consultants and the Urban Planning Commission—as they acknowledge the shortage of affordable housing while the proposed measures do not provide an effective solution to this issue.

The current reality in Santa Cristina d'Aro is that there is virtually no supply of multi-family housing or rental apartments. At the same time, the few properties that come onto the market have increased in price by more than 15% over the past year.

Regarding land available for single-family housing, supply is now almost exhausted, while the price per square metre has risen by more than 20% during the last year.

This situation is particularly concerning in our area. Sant Feliu de Guíxols has already exceeded 23,000 inhabitants and Santa Cristina d'Aro has reached a population of 5,600. The key challenge will be to identify effective solutions that improve access to housing for current and future residents.