Biescas City Council requested designation as a stressed residential market area on June 3. In its response, issued in October, the Government of Aragon rejected the proposal under the current circumstances and made any possible reconsideration conditional on the existence of scientific studies and reports that would make it possible to assess the effects of such a designation.
“If the Government of Aragon considers the needs and arguments we have presented from the council insufficient and requires more scientific evidence, it is reasonable for it to help produce it,” Cajal said. She also highlighted the limitations of municipal powers and resources: “Municipalities cannot be made solely responsible for proving a problem that affects the public interest and whose solution requires cooperation among all levels of government.”
AN ANALYSIS BASED ON DATA
The council is asking the study to examine trends in purchase and rental prices, the actual availability of housing for permanent residence, and the share of second homes and properties intended for tourist or seasonal use.
Precisely because access to housing is one of the main problems faced by people who live or want to live in the municipality, the council has also approved a request for a Government of Aragon grant to draw up the technical rehabilitation project for the Casa Forestal, “with the aim of studying its potential use as affordable rental housing for permanent residence.”
Biescas City Council is also calling for specific rental and home-purchase assistance programs for residents seeking a permanent home in the municipality. The resolutions will be sent to the president of the Government of Aragon, the department responsible for housing and the parliamentary groups in the Cortes of Aragon.
