Albarracín opens public consultation for environmental license for eight tourist apartments

The Albarracín City Council has opened a public information period for fifteen calendar days for the granting of the Environmental License for Classified Activity relating to the installation of eight tourist apartments in the property located at Camino Santo Cristo, No. 11, in Albarracín (Teruel). The notice is published in the Official Bulletin of the Province of Teruel, number 155, dated August 17, 2026, under No. 2026-2447 (p. 17).

The application was submitted by the company 1299 ARQUITARIA, S.L., on behalf of M.C. STOCK, S.L., according to a Technical Project drafted by the architect Mr. JAVIER GUTIERREZ SANCHEZ. The file is being processed by the Albarracín City Council, which acts as the competent body in matters of environmental licenses for classified activities within its municipal area. The opening of this procedure is based on Article 77.3 of Law 11/2014, of December 4, on Environmental Prevention and Protection of Aragon, which requires classified activity projects likely to produce significant effects on the environment to be subject to public information for a period of fifteen calendar days.

Projected activity: eight tourist apartments

The project consists of the installation of an activity of eight tourist apartments in the property located at Camino Santo Cristo, No. 11, in Albarracín (Teruel). This is a classified activity, which means it requires an environmental license in accordance with Aragon’s environmental prevention and protection regulations. The site is located in the very heart of the historic center of Albarracín, declared a Historic-Artistic Site, one of the most emblematic heritage towns in the province of Teruel and in Aragon.

The number of apartments —eight residential units for tourist use— suggests an intervention of considerable scope in a pre-existing building, which may involve significant renovations to the structure and installations of the property. In recent years, Albarracín has experienced notable growth in its tourist accommodation offering, driven by its medieval urban core of great heritage value and by the popularization of the Mudéjar route and the astronomical observatory.

Procedure: fifteen-day public information period

In accordance with the published notice, any interested party may examine the file and the technical project at the municipal offices of the Albarracín City Council during the period of fifteen calendar days counted from the insertion of the notice in the BOP Teruel —that is, from August 17, 2026—. During said period, interested parties may submit the allegations they deem appropriate.

The procedure is governed by Article 77.3 of Law 11/2014, of 4 December, on Environmental Prevention and Protection of Aragon. This regulation establishes that classified activities that may produce significant effects on the environment are subject to an environmental license, and that the competent body must open a public information procedure so that citizens can submit observations before the final resolution. The Albarracín City Council, as the local administration with powers in urban planning and environmental matters, is the body responsible for processing and resolving this file.

Context: tourist pressure in the historic center

Albarracín, with a registered population of around 1,000 inhabitants, is one of the most attractive rural destinations in Aragon and Spain. Its medieval urban core, walled and irregular in layout, was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1962 as a Historic-Artistic Ensemble. In recent years, the town has recorded a considerable increase in visitors, especially during the summer season and around cultural events such as the Albarracín Medieval Week, which attracts tens of thousands of people each year.

The proliferation of tourist apartments in the historic centers of small municipalities is a trend that has generated debate in numerous Spanish towns, including other populations in the province of Teruel. The opening of this environmental license file constitutes an opportunity for residents and interested organizations to submit observations on the impact that this activity may generate in the historic center of Albarracín, both in terms of pressure on municipal services and the impact on the architectural heritage and the residential character of the old town.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Province of Teruel, number 155, 17 August 2026, Local Administration / Municipalities / Albarracín, p. 17 (official reference: No. 2026-2447).