Environmental green light for the new urban planning of Baños de Río Tobía

The General Directorate of Environmental Quality, Climate Change and Water of the Government of La Rioja has issued a favorable Strategic Environmental Statement for the Municipal General Plan of Baños de Río Tobía (EAE 19/2022), through Resolution 348/2026, dated September 23. The text is published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 185, dated September 25, 2026, within section III, with the official reference BOR-A-20260925-III–3641. The report, signed by the director general Isabel Vitoria Díez, is mandatory and decisive for the City Council to complete the processing of the new planning.

The file began on April 1, 2022, when the City Council of Baños de Río Tobía (P2602600E) sent the environmental body the request for initiation, the draft plan, and the initial strategic Document, in accordance with article 18 of Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment. The stated objective is to adapt the current planning, whose final approval was published in the BOR on January 23, 2007, to the current needs of the municipality and urban planning regulations. In La Rioja, the competent environmental body is the General Directorate of Environmental Quality, Climate Change and Water, according to article 16 of Law 6/2017, of May 8, on environmental protection.

The processing includes two previous resolutions: Resolution 302/2022, of June 1, which approved the scoping document, and Resolution 113/2023, of March 29, which declared the file abandoned and archived it. The City Council filed an administrative appeal on April 28, 2023, and Resolution 174/2024, of February 13, from the Councilor for Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Affairs and Environment, partially upheld appeal 150/2023 and reverted the procedure to the moment of issuance of Resolution 302/2022.

Public participation and sectoral consultations

The initial approval of the plan and its Strategic Environmental Study were submitted for public information for 45 days via an announcement in BOR number 132, of July 9, 2024, with the documentation available to the public at the electronic office and in municipal offices. The affected administrations were consulted, including:

• Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (report of September 22, 2025).
• State Roads Demarcation in La Rioja (August 1, 2024).
• Directorate General for Natural Environment and Landscape (August 29, 2024 and March 19, 2025).
• Directorate General of Culture and Higher Council for Cultural, Historical and Artistic Heritage of La Rioja (September 4, 2024, March 6 and 27, 2025).
• Directorate General for Public Health, Consumption and Care (July 25, 2024).
• Sub-directorate General for Emergencies and Civil Protection (August 29, 2024 and March 17, 2025).
• Directorate General for Infrastructure, Directorate General for Urban Planning and Housing, Water and Waste Consortium of La Rioja and bordering city councils.

Three allegations were received. The City Council submitted complementary documentation on December 22, 2025 and on September 15 and 16, 2026, and the report of September 17, 2026 declared the file complete for its technical analysis.

The proposed land classification

The plan organizes a district of 17.50 km² in the Najerilla valley, with 1,589 inhabitants (2022) and a maximum population horizon of around 10,000 inhabitants. The final proposal, after provisional approval, distributes the land as follows:

• Urban land: 70.706 hectares, with eleven planning zones (traditional center, center expansion, single-family residential, public and private facilities, industrial area of the ‘La Alcantarilla’ estate and public roads, among others).
• Developable land: 145.804 hectares, delimited and non-delimited.
• Non-developable land: 1,563.285 hectares, of which 342.651 are special (eight protection categories) and 1,220.634 are generic (four categories).

The Strategic Environmental Study did not detect critical environmental impacts and ruled out the zero alternative, as the current planning does not adapt to the land use and urban planning regulations of La Rioja.

Imposed conditions and deadlines

The declaration is favorable provided that the protective and corrective measures of the Strategic Environmental Study are met. Among the prescriptions are:

• Comply with the acoustic requirements of Law 37/2003, of November 17, on noise.
• Address the conditions of the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation and its report on file 2021-OU-139, with special attention to the left bank canal of the Najerilla.
• Incorporate Sustainable Drainage Systems in new urban developments.
• Enact municipal regulations that limit the installation of farms near the municipality and develop a leak plan for the distribution networks.
• Establish a minimum distance of no less than 500 meters between nuisance activities and residential, healthcare, educational, or cultural land.
• Conduct a census of installations and sites containing asbestos and a schedule for its safe removal.
• Prepare a quadrennial monitoring report on compliance with the declaration and the evolution of the carbon footprint.

The strategic environmental declaration is not subject to appeal, according to Article 25 of Law 21/2013, without prejudice to any appropriate judicial appeals against the general provision that approves the plan. The City Council has a maximum period of two years from publication to definitively approve the Municipal General Plan; otherwise, the declaration will lose its validity. The resolution is forwarded to the City Council of Baños de Río Tobía, the General Directorate of Urbanism and Housing, and the Environmental Integration Service.

Source: Official Gazette of La Rioja, no. 185, of September 25, 2026, section III (Other provisions and acts), pp. 16367-16377 (official reference: BOR-A-20260925-III–3641).