Urban Planning gives environmental approval to the Prezanes Partial Plan in Santa Cruz de Bezana

The General Directorate of Urbanism and Territorial Planning has formulated the Strategic Environmental Statement for the Partial Plan of Sector 106 Prezanes, in the municipality of Santa Cruz de Bezana. The announcement is published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria no. 190, dated October 2, 2026, section 7.1 Urbanism, with the official reference CVE-2026-6737 and signed in Santander on August 19, 2026.

The document is signed by the Director General of Urbanism and Territorial Planning, Víctor Manuel Gil Elizalde, and is issued by the Ministry of Public Works, Housing, Territorial Planning and Environment. The statement is formulated “solely for environmental purposes” and is based on Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment, Law 5/2022, of July 15, on Territorial Planning and Urbanism of Cantabria, and Law 17/2006, of December 11, on Integrated Environmental Control. The file began on November 9, 2023, when the City Council of Santa Cruz de Bezana submitted the environmental and urban planning documentation; the Scoping Document was approved on February 7, 2024, and published in the BOC no. 34, dated February 16, 2024.

A sector of three hectares and 8,274 buildable square meters

The Partial Plan develops Sector 106 of delimited developable land, with a surface area of nearly three hectares and gentle topography, and is promoted by Javier Carrasco and other owners. Its main parameters are:

• Gross buildability of 0.30 m²/m², equivalent to 8,274 m² buildable and 8,274 uas (development units).
• Municipal development transfer of 15%, i.e., 1,241 uas, with 7,033 private uas.
• Four residential blocks of 2,121, 6,376, 3,896, and 5,256 m².
• 83 public parking spaces and 125 private spaces.
• Transfer of open space of 4,526 m² and public equipment of 1,478 m².
• Reservation of approximately 850 m² for the planting of 105 native trees.

The area is included in the Peri-urban Planning Area of the Coastal Planning Plan, and the assigned zone ordinance is UZ1.

Alternative 3 and protection of the holm oak grove and caves

Of the three planning alternatives analyzed, in addition to the “no intervention” option, the environmental body considers alternative 3 to be the most sustainable, as it expands the transfer of open space to the southwest to create a buffer zone for the holm oak grove and diversifies the location of public protected housing. The environmental study assesses the overall residual impact as compatible and positive regarding the current Subsidiary Regulations.

Cultural heritage is preserved through the classification as a public-use open space of the Cuevas de Prezanes I and Cuevas de Prezanes II, cataloged in the Inventory of Archaeological Heritage of Cantabria; the Cueva de Prezanes III remains outside the sector. The archaeological report, delivered on September 24, 2024, by Gaem Arqueólogos, S.C., concludes that there are no impacts on cultural heritage.

Neighborhood objections and environmental constraints

During the public information period, open for 45 days following the initial approval on March 26, 2025, and published in BOC no. 63, dated April 1, 2025, objections were submitted by:

• Soraya López Gayarta, owner of 50% of a plot in the area, who requests the invalidation of the project.
• The Association for the Defense of Natural Resources of Cantabria (ARCA), which requests the denial of the Partial Plan.
• Cantabristas, who demand the suspension of licenses and the processing of new developments until an updated PGOU (General Urban Development Plan) is available.

The Geological and Mining Institute of Spain, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Culture and Historical Heritage, and MARE also provided reports. The declaration incorporates determinations such as the archaeological monitoring of all earthworks, the performance of a ground stability study prior to the works, the guarantee of pedestrian and cyclist connectivity, and a favorable ruling from the Directorate General of Housing and Architecture before provisional approval.

The Strategic Environmental Statement clears the environmental procedure for the development and now passes the ball to the City Council of Santa Cruz de Bezana, which must integrate these determinations into the provisional approval document before submitting it to the Regional Commission for Land Use and Urban Planning. For residents and developers, the document sets the rules of the game for the future residential nucleus of Prezanes: which land is urbanized, how much protected housing is reserved, and which protection measures for the holm oak forest, the caves, and the landscape are required.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 190, dated October 2, 2026, section 7.1 Urbanism, pp. 49037-49064 (official reference: CVE-2026-6737).