The Urban Planning Councillor, Víctor Serrano, welcomed the court decision and argued that it represents further backing for the city council’s urban development initiatives. "In just two weeks, the courts have endorsed the rigor and good work of Zaragoza City Council on two occasions," he said, also referring to the case of the building at number 12 Estébanes Street. Serrano argued that both rulings show that municipal projects have legal, technical and urban planning guarantees, and insisted that the general interest of Zaragoza residents must prevail.
The court ruling also questions the timing chosen by Apudepa to request the building’s preservation. The TSJA recalled that its urban planning designation had been defined since 2005, when it was deemed incompatible with planning regulations and its demolition was considered. "It is not reasonable to wait twenty years from the time the building’s fate became known to request its protection," the ruling states. It also notes that more than four months elapsed between the project’s approval in September 2025 and the request for precautionary measures.
NO EXCEPTIONAL ARCHITECTURAL VALUE FOUND
The TSJA agrees with the arguments previously put forward by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage of the Government of Aragon, which rejected declaring the building an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) or a Listed Heritage Asset. Both the external technical report on which that decision was based and the court consider that the building, constructed in the 1970s to house postal sorting operations, does not possess sufficient architectural value to warrant protection. Specifically, they reject the possibility of classifying it as Brutalist and place it within the functional architecture of its period, featuring common construction and design solutions.
Serrano used the ruling to question the strategy of the appealing association. "Genuine heritage protection is a fundamental value that this government shares and defends, but it cannot be used as a subterfuge to systematically try to halt Zaragoza’s development," he said. He also criticized the appeals which, in his view, seek to paralyze city projects, and said the city council would continue working to unblock pending urban development initiatives.
The court also took into account the economic and urban planning consequences of a possible suspension. The ruling weighs Apudepa’s request against the general interest of the public, with Anselmo Clavé Avenue affected by major works that could continue for years if the work were halted. Zaragoza Alta Velocidad had estimated the financial loss resulting from the suspension at 1,781,988.06 euros. The ruling rejects the precautionary measures without awarding costs and allows the project to continue, although it does not constitute a final judgment on the substance of the dispute.
