Gelves flexibilizes the PGOU and will not require a piped gas network

The Plenary of the Gelves City Council unanimously approved on July 2, 2026, by the 13 attending councilors out of the 17 entitled to attend, the interpretative criteria for article 6.14 of the Urban Planning Regulations (NNUU) of the PGOU in accordance with the current energy regulatory framework. The agreement, promoted by the acting mayor Pablo Cordero Herrera, establishes that the purpose of the urban determination is understood to be fulfilled without necessarily requiring the execution of a piped gas network in the pending sectors, provided that the supply is guaranteed through sustainable and efficient solutions.

The decision is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Seville, number 176, of Thursday, September 10, 2026 (official reference: BOP-SE-2026-176011), and is based on the technical report of the Municipal Architect dated June 23, 2026, which received a favorable opinion from the General Affairs information commission on June 29, 2026.

A 2005 PGOU versus current energy regulations

The Gelves PGOU, approved more than twenty years ago, provided in its article 6.14 for the inclusion of piped gas installations in the urbanization of new sectorized developable land sectors. The municipal report concludes that this provision responded to a context in which natural gas was considered a transition source, but that current regulation has evolved toward a performance-based model and technological neutrality.

The agreement is based on the functional and purposive interpretation of planning according to article 3.1 of the Civil Code, and on the municipal interpretation competence set forth in articles 1.6 and 3.10 of the NNUU. It also invokes the Technical Building Code (DB-HE), Directive (EU) 2024/1275 on the energy efficiency of buildings, the RePower EU plan (2022), Law 7/2021 on Climate Change and Energy Transition, and Law 7/2021 for the Promotion of Territorial Sustainability of Andalusia (LISTA).

Affected sectors and the status of each

The flexibility affects the sectors pending execution, with varying degrees of development:

• Sector 2: its urbanization project was approved by Mayoral resolution on February 22, 2007, with works approximately 30% executed, suspended due to the real estate crisis and reactivated through Resolution 55/2024.
• Sectors 4 and 5: have an approved Partial Plan but lack an urbanization project, which allows for the integration of sustainability criteria from the initial design.

In March 2026, with the resumption of works in sector 2, the possibility of not including the planned gas network was raised, following a technical review for its adaptation to current regulations.

Guarantee of supply and processing

The agreement emphasizes that the non-execution of the gas network does not alter the structural or detailed planning layout, nor does it modify land uses, buildability, or urban standards. Energy supply would be guaranteed through the mandatory electrical infrastructure provided for in the LISTA and systems based on electricity and renewable energies, such as aerothermal, geothermal, or photovoltaic energy.

When the gas network is planned in an urbanization project, the decision not to execute it must be implemented through a revision or technical modification of the project, justifying the alternative solution and certifying the connection to general services and the sufficient capacity of the networks. The report will be incorporated as an annex to the PGOU and will enter into force upon its publication on the municipal notice board.

The approval received the favorable vote of the municipal groups Socialist (8), Popular (2), Con Andalucía Izquierda Unida-Podemos con Gelves (2), and VOX (1). The measure seeks to unblock stalled urban developments under criteria of efficiency and energy transition, and represents a precedent in the flexible interpretation of planning in light of the new climate regulatory framework.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Seville, No. 176, September 10, 2026, Local Administration, pp. 44-50 (official reference: BOP-SE-2026-176011).