Benasque (Huesca), one of the most touristy municipalities in Aragon, played this Sunday a demonstration during which dozens of people asked for “apartments to live in and not to speculate”. The appeal, launched by the Digna Benasque Housing collective, asks the municipalities of the valley to be declared “tension zones” under the Housing Law, a possibility that the Aragon government of Jorge Azcón rejects.
The mayor, Manuel Mora (PP), assures that “all the mechanisms” have been put in place to create housing and resolve current deficiencies. The main measure: the agreement signed approximately two months ago with the Regional Executive for the construction of 29 affordable rental housing units on land belonging to the municipality.
Other land has also been made available to the Aragonese government to increase the number of apartments, either through the DGA itself or through exchanges of land for housing with construction companies. construction. “The housing problem in Benasque did not arise this year nor last year. It is under construction, although the prices may not be what we all would like“, recognizes the councilor.
Participants during this weekend’s demonstration.
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Mora excludes that Benasque is a tense area and calls for “do more” from the Spanish government. “It’s everyone’s business. Until now there have been localities that have banned tourist accommodation and have not solved the problem. A tight area is an area where you cannot buy or rent apartments or book a hotel room In Benasque yes, it’s possible,” he recalled.
According to him, today’s demonstration could have taken place “in any municipality”, since the problem is common to the entire territory. The protest was supported by parties like Izquierda Unida or Aragón-Teruel Exist. The latter expressed their solidarity, believing that “being few in number does not diminish rights”. As an example, they have attached an image through their social networks in which you can see the prices of the few rental accommodations in Benasque, with 660 euros as the cheapest reference and 1,600 the most expensive.
The reasons
For the demonstrators, rents must be capped and the IBI increased on empty housing, a measure which “would help to does not exceed 30% of the average salary.
According to what they say in a press release, it is necessary to create a municipal housing exchange to buy empty or disused apartments and encourage owners to rent their accommodation. “We propose that the Town Hall takes care of unpaid and damage insurance during the first year of a long-term contract to provide them with security,” they add.
Other of its revenues consist of fighting fraud in temporary rentals, differentiating between tourist residences managed by professionals and those operated by individuals without respecting regulations or restructuring the General Urban Planning Plan (PGOU). ). to prevent the reclassification of new land.
In addition to all these measures, the approval of a tourist tax of two euros per night and per tourist room and a salary reduction for the government team “until an effective plan is implemented”.
