Granada initially approves the Special Plan for El Refugio

The Local Governing Board of the Granada City Council, in its session on July 31, initially approved the project and the Special Plan for the cataloged plot “El Refugio,” located at Callejón del Pretorio 4, with boundaries also on Avenida Pablo Picasso and Virgen del Mayor Dolor street. The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Granada number 168, dated September 1, 2026, and opens a public information period of twenty business days for allegations.

The file, processed by the General Directorate of Urbanism under number 13640/2025 (municipal file 2026/23939B), aims to materialize the unused buildability that the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) grants to the plot, through the construction of a new building that maintains the healthcare uses for which it is classified. The property, fully urbanized, has a surface area according to the Cadastre of 24,334 m² and cadastral reference 7338002.

A long administrative journey

The document was submitted on July 19, 2025, by Mr. Leopoldo Ocaña Cabrera, representing the I.V. Hermandad y Hospital de la Caridad y Refugio de Granada, requesting a prior consultation with the environmental body. On October 3, 2025, the Environmental Protection Service issued a report (ref. SPA/PCA/MLR B/341/2025) indicating the need to initiate a simplified strategic environmental assessment.

Subsequently, on February 24, 2026, the Territorial Delegation of the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment resolved not to subject it to a strategic environmental assessment, with conditions (file EAE/2568/2025). On July 8, 2026, a favorable heritage impact report was issued by the municipal historical heritage technician of the General Directorate of Licenses.

Drafting and regulatory adaptation

On May 15, 2026, the final document was submitted, drafted by architect Dolores Berrocal Vela and lawyer José Luis Santana Mochón, adapted to the Guiding Rules for electronic documentation of urban planning instruments in Andalusia, approved by Order of February 18, 2026.

The heritage report values the plan favorably, under article 11.2.13.3 of the PGOU, trusting that the architectural projects drafted as extensions maintain relationships of scale, volume, color, and texture with the protected singular building, respecting its character as a detached building.

Agreements and effects

The initial approval agreement includes the following pronouncements:

• Approve the project and initially the Special Plan on the “El Refugio” plot.
• Submit the document for public review for a period of twenty business days, through publication in the official bulletin, the electronic headquarters’ notice board, the website, and the municipal transparency portal.
• Suspend the granting of urban planning approvals, authorizations, and licenses within the scope of the planning study, for a maximum period of three years from the publication of the agreement, with the effects of article 78.2 of the LISTA and 103 of the RGLISTA.

The processing is framed within the protection of the historical heritage of the center of Granada, where the provision of care services and the low level of facilities in the area will improve significantly with the new building. Final approval will depend on the allegations submitted during the public review period and the sectoral reports requested from the Department competent in matters of land use and urban planning.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Granada, no. 168, of September 1, 2026, Local Administration – City Council of Granada, p. 39 (official reference: BOP-GRA-2026-168011).