SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, April 9. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The central government, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda (MIVAU), has given the green light in the Council of Ministers for the allocation of 45,910,000 Euros to the Canary Islands for the development of 1,054 energy-efficient social rental homes.
A total of approximately 1 billion Euros (994,556,620 Euros) will be distributed among the autonomous communities and cities for the construction of 24,964 homes.
These numbers represent a 25% increase from the original target of 20,000 homes, achieved through 211 agreements signed with the autonomies and local entities, including five with the Canary Islands, showcasing the successful co-governance model coordinated by the Ministry, as stated in a press release from the Executive.
Isabel Rodríguez, the Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda, presented a progress report on the utilisation of funds from the Recovery Plan, specifically related to Component 2 focused on the ‘Implementation of the Spanish Urban Agenda: Rehabilitation Plan and urban regeneration’.
In relation to the Public Building Rehabilitation Program (PIREP), which has a budget of 1,080 million Euros, the current rate of completion stands at 56.95% concerning the committed 290,000 square meters of rehabilitated space being analysed.
The minister also highlighted the aid provided for the implementation of the Spanish Urban Agenda in a presentation within this framework.
The call for funding totalling 20 million Euros received 233 applications, with 117 ultimately approved.
“This initiative has been recognised as a success story, primarily due to the dedication and commitment of Local Entities, where investing in future strategic planning of towns and cities has become a vital public policy for accessing any form of financing,” she stressed.
REVITALISING NEIGHBOURHOODS
The investment in Neighbourhood Rehabilitation, a programme valued at 3,420 million Euros, has led to the signing of over 285 initiatives, amounting to 841 million Euros.
Currently, there are 197,349 accepted actions and 317,509 actions under review regarding residential housing regeneration by the ministry.
In total, there are 514,858 actions in progress, instilling confidence in surpassing the commitment to the European Union of 410,000 actions.
She noted, “This programme is garnering significant interest from citizens, with communities urging for more resources to fulfil the demands.”
INCOME DRIVE
Alongside the tax campaign, the minister also addressed the tax deductions available for housing rehabilitation, citing statistics from the previous year in this regard.
“In 2022, 57,247 tax returns were processed, resulting in deductions amounting to 108.5 million Euros. To provide context: the average deduction per tax return was 1,900 Euros,” she pointed out.
The Recovery Plan, with its Component 2, aims to encourage the construction of high-quality and energy-efficient social rental housing.
Its objectives include fostering the rejuvenation of Spain’s housing sector, both residential and public buildings, and expanding the insufficient current rental housing supply to address the urgent need for decent and affordable housing for the most vulnerable groups within the population.
In 2020, when the Government commenced work with the Recovery Funds related to Component 2, the Ministry identified key challenges as upgrading Spain’s housing stock in terms of age and energy efficiency; boosting the pace of regeneration to meet the target of 300,000 annually by 2030; increasing the public rental housing stock to reach the European average of 9%; promoting the Spanish Urban Agenda, establishing an Urban Rehabilitation and Regeneration Plan, and enhancing residential quality and legal certainty.
