The Valencian government announced that this month it will approve a two-year moratorium on building permits to convert entire buildings into tourist flats. Before that day arrives, new proposals are coming to light that are trying to “escape” the veto. A development at number 16 Quart Street, in the heart of the Carmen district, is the latest example.
The developer has already submitted the documentation to the Heritage Commission, the body that must endorse the rehabilitation of the building. It is based on a previous project from 2007 on which successive extensions were requested and which has finally given way from dwellings to tourist apartments. The development has certain problems, as there are numerous interior courtyards, plots reserved for gardens and even a tower, which according to the report is outside the unit as it falls under number 14.
The moratorium is intended to prevent tenant evictions, although the property in question has been abandoned for many years. However, sources from the Amics del Carme Association commented yesterday that this is “yet another example of the limitations of the Special Protection Plan for Ciutat Vella in dealing with the rampant gentrification of the district”.
In their opinion, the moratorium that the City Council has begun to process should take into account what is happening in the historic neighbourhoods: “No residential housing is being built and nothing effective is being done to contain the hotel tsunami”, which calls for more effective measures to gain population.
The residents have highlighted up to a hundred plots of land and buildings pending renovation in the historic centre, although they regret that the only investments that arrive are for “hotels or tourist apartments “. They criticise both the Consistory and the Generalitat for the reduced investment in public housing.
In the case of the building in Calle Quart, the project report indicates that “although the main use is residential, it is perfectly compatible with the tertiary hotel use as it is not prohibited”. However, they specify that there is the “future possibility of transforming the building into housing, subject to a request for change of use, as it specifically complies with all applicable housing regulations, without carrying out the slightest work”. The small building, which dates back to the 18th century, has room for six apartments, which “does not compromise or overcrowd the hotel offer”.
