Betanzos initially approves the special plan for its historic center

The Betanzos City Council has initially approved the Special Plan for the protection and planning of the historic center, opened a two-month period of public information, and suspended the granting of licenses in the affected areas for two years. The agreement was adopted by the Local Government Board in the ordinary session of August 13, 2026, and is published in the Official Gazette of Galicia (DOG) number 180, of September 22, 2026, on page 49972, with the reference CVE-DOG: na3lg0y2-hi18-ftj2-f8g0-idt3ssvpu450.

The announcement, signed by Mayor María Barral Varela on August 19, 2026, is processed in accordance with article 75.1 of Law 2/2016, of February 10, on Galician Land. The initially approved plan incorporates the provisions contained in the strategic environmental report issued by the environmental body, under the terms set out in the municipal file.

Two months of public information

The file will be available for public inspection for a period of two months starting from the day following the insertion of the announcement in the Official Gazette of Galicia. During this period, any interested person may examine it and obtain copies to present the allegations they deem appropriate.

• Place of consultation: Urban Planning offices of the council or electronic headquarters (https://sede.betanzos.gal).
• Deadline: two months from the day following the publication in the DOG.
• Procedure: submission of allegations and claims.
• Dissemination: announcement in the DOG and, additionally, in one of the newspapers with the widest circulation in the province.

Suspension of licenses and notice to owners

The Local Government Board agreed to suspend the granting of licenses in the areas affected by the approval of the Special Plan in cases where the new determinations of the plan imply a modification of the current urban planning. The duration of the suspension is two years and this will be published together with the initial approval.

• Suspension of licenses: two years in the affected areas.
• Individual notification: to all cadastral owners of the affected lands.
• Effect: the public information process is communicated personally to the owners.

Regional funding of the plan

The drafting of the revision of the Special Plan for the protection and planning of the historic center (PEPOCH) is funded by the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Planning through an agreement with the Betanzos City Council. Addendum no. 5 to that agreement, signed on May 6, 2026, modifies the second clause and does not imply an economic increase over the initial agreement.

In the field of residential rehabilitation, Addendum I to Agreement No. 10 of the Bilateral Commission, dated May 11, 2023, regarding the programmed residential rehabilitation surroundings of the historic center of Betanzos and its protection zone, was signed on June 15, 2026, without a contribution from the Galician Institute of Housing and Land. This addendum modifies the seventh agreement and adds a new ninth agreement authorizing an extension of the deadlines established for the execution and justification of the actions of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU.

What changes for the historic center

The initial approval does not close the procedure: it opens the phase in which owners, developers, and neighbors can question the document before its final approval. Until then, and for two years, the city council may not grant licenses that alter the current urban planning in the areas included within the scope of the plan.

The impact is immediate for those planning to rehabilitate, renovate, or develop properties in the historic core, as any intervention is conditioned by what the Special Plan finally establishes. The public exhibition on the electronic headquarters and the individual notification to the cadastral holders ensure that those affected are aware of the scope of the new determinations before they are consolidated.

Source: Official Gazette of Galicia, no. 180, September 22, 2026, VI. Announcements, B) Local Administration, p. 49972 (official reference: CVE-DOG: na3lg0y2-hi18-ftj2-f8g0-idt3ssvpu450).