Alcover suspends licenses for all non-urbanizable land for two years

The Plenary of the Alcover City Council initially approved, by unanimity, Specific Modification no. 23 of the POUM in the session of September 4, 2026. The agreement, signed by Mayor Robert Figueras Roca, suspends licenses and processing for two years on all non-urbanizable land in the municipality and was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona on September 30, 2026 (CVE 2026-08886, pp. 1-2).

A modification that rewrites zone 4b3.1

File 1961/2026 aims to modify specific modification no. 7 of the POUM for zone 4b3.1, the former UA-17. The change is processed as specific modification no. 23 of the general planning and affects the urban planning regime of this specific area, although its consequences extend to the entire municipal district via the agreed suspension of licenses.

The municipal agreement was adopted unanimously by the members of the Plenary, and the complete documentation of the file can be consulted electronically via the link https://ja.cat/mp23. It is also accessible in person at the offices of the Alcover City Council, at Pl. Nova, no. 3.

Suspension of licenses on all non-urbanizable land

The second agreement of the resolution suspends, for a term of two years, the processing and granting of the following acts on all non-urbanizable land, in accordance with the license suspension map included in the specific modification document:

• Processing of special urban plans.
• Processing of specific action projects.
• Granting of building licenses.
• Licenses for the installation or expansion of specific activities or uses.
• Other related municipal authorizations established by sectoral legislation.

The measure is based on section 4 of article 102 of the Urban Planning Law Regulations. This provision allows for the processing of instruments or the granting of licenses based on the current regime that are compatible with the determinations of the new planning initially approved, provided that, due to the nature of the proposed changes, the application of the new planning is not jeopardized once definitively approved. The suspension is published together with the initial approval.

Sectoral reports, public information, and hearing for residents

The council requests reports regarding their competencies from two bodies:

• The Catalan Water Agency.
• The Territorial Office of Environmental Action and Evaluation.

The agreement and the proposed modification are submitted for public information for a period of one month in the BOP of the province and the DOGC, as well as publication in two of the highest circulation newspapers in the province, on the town hall’s notice board, and on the municipal website, so that affected persons may submit any allegations they deem appropriate. Simultaneously, a hearing is granted to the town halls within the territorial area that border the municipality of Alcover, in accordance with article 83.7 of the Urban Planning Law.

Appeals and means of challenge

Against the agreement regarding the suspension of urban planning procedures and licenses, as it is a qualified administrative procedural act, a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the Court of First Instance of Tarragona, contentious-administrative section, within a period of two months starting from the day following its notification. Alternatively and optionally, a plea for reconsideration may be filed before the same body that issued it, within a period of one month. Against the remaining agreements, as they are non-qualified procedural acts, no type of appeal is applicable.

The decision freezes for two years any expectation of construction, installation, or expansion of activities on the non-urbanizable land of Alcover, an area that is thus conditioned by the result of the processing of the new planning. For the owners and developers of the municipality, the calendar is clear: the one-month period for allegations is the only window to influence the text before final approval.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Province of Tarragona, September 30, 2026, section I, pp. 1-2 (official reference: CVE 2026-08886).