The official name of the Gaztañeta neighborhood in Elorrio has become Gastañeta

The Elorrio City Council has definitively approved the orthographic correction of the name of the neighborhood and population entity: «Gaztañeta» has become «Gastañeta». Decree 498/2026 of the Deputy Mayor’s Office, dated August 19, 2026, has definitively declared the decision taken by the Elorrio City Council on May 28, as no objections were filed. The decision was published in the Official Gazette of Bizkaia, issue number 172, on September 9, 2026, in section II (official reference: BOB-2026a172-(II-4698)).

Correction procedure

The Elorrio City Council, in its session on May 28, 2026, initially approved the correction of the written form of the neighborhood’s name, changing «Gaztañeta» to «Gastañeta». The file (number: 2026-01780) was opened for public information for a period of twenty business days, through announcements published in the Official Gazette of Bizkaia on June 19, 2026, as well as on the council’s website and notice board.

Once the period elapsed, not a single objection was filed, as stated in the certificate issued by the Municipal Secretariat on August 19, 2026. Since the Council’s decision explicitly established that the initial approval would become definitive if no objections were filed during the public information period.

Legal basis

The correction has a clear legal basis. On one hand, Article 44 of Decree 179/2019 (of November 19) was applied, regarding the normalization of the institutional and administrative use of official languages in local entities of the Basque Country. On the other hand, the Mayor used the powers granted by Article 21.1.s) of Law 7/1985 (of April 2, regulating the Bases of Local Regime).

The decision was signed under Mayoral Decree 431/2026 (of July 3, 2026) by Deputy Mayor María Herrero Arriolabengoa, who assumed the functions of the Mayor from August 3 to 23, 2026. The document was signed in Elorrio on August 19, 2026.

Entities to be updated

The second point of the decree orders the notification of several entities to update their databases, cartography, nomenclature, and dependent services:

• Basque Government (the body responsible for toponymy and cartography)
• Provincial Council of Bizkaia (Cartography, Taxes, and Roads services)
• EUSTAT, Basque Statistics Institute
• General Directorate of Cadastre
• National Statistics Institute (INE)
• Correos y Telégrafos, S.A.
• SOS Deiak / 112
• Property Registry of Durango

Furthermore, it is ordered that all other public or private entities that may be affected by the change in designation be notified. In its third point, the decree establishes that the Elorrio City Council will be informed of the decision at its first session.

Conclusions

This correction unifies the official spelling of the neighborhood’s name, updating the toponomy and administrative records. For citizens, the change will affect addresses, the census, and public services, but it does not alter the nature or identity of the neighborhood; it establishes the correct orthographic form of the name, following a participatory process that was accepted without objection.

Source: Official Gazette of Bizkaia, number 172, September 9, 2026, section II (official reference: BOB-2026a172-(II-4698)).