Civil Society Opposes New Madrid Land Law and Central Government Housing Decree

• The new Madrid Regional Land Law (Lider) and the national government’s upcoming Royal Decree-Law on Housing face significant opposition from neighborhood associations and environmental groups.
• Critics argue that both pieces of legislation aim to deregulate urban planning, reduce social oversight, and effectively privatize the construction process.
• Protesters are organizing a major rally at Puerta del Sol on September 27 to oppose these changes.

Key Legislative Changes

• Abolition of the Pgou: The Madrid law eliminates the General Urban Planning Plan (Pgou), replacing it with 'Municipal Strategic Plans' and 'Executive Plans.' Critics view transferring executive power to developers as a form of de facto privatization.
• End of the Principle of Hierarchy: The new norms replace the Principle of Hierarchy with a 'Principle of Competence.' This allows urban projects to continue even if parts of them are ruled illegal by courts, rather than requiring the entire plan to be scrapped and restarted.
• Circumventing Legal Challenges: Environmental and neighborhood groups believe the goal is to deactivate jurisprudence that has successfully halted controversial developments, such as the Los Carriles project in Alcobendas, through court interventions.

Political and Social Implications

• The Lider law is expected to pass in the Madrid Assembly due to the majority held by the Popular Party (PP) and support from Vox.
• The central government’s decree faces a harder path, requiring support from within the Sumar coalition and facing vocal opposition from five Podemos deputies.
• Activists, including the 'Madrid contra la Lider' platform, argue that these laws prioritize developers under the guise of 'legal certainty' while stripping citizens of their right to contest illegal urban planning that harms their communities.
• Opponents are currently evaluating potential constitutional challenges to both the regional and national regulations.