Por Redaccion 
Buyers of the homes must have been residing in the city for at least two years prior
Mayor of Gijón, Carmen Moriyón, announced on Tuesday that on the 15th, the local Government Board will approve the terms for the sale of the first plots of the ‘Plan Llave’.
She made this statement during a session about the mentioned Plan organized by the newspaper El Comercio, at the Regatas Club, where Urban Planning Councilor, Jesús Martínez Salvador, revealed that the municipal properties will be exchanged for other homes and annexes –garages and storage rooms– in the buildings to be constructed.
Moriyón highlighted that the Plan Llave is a «pioneering and municipal» roadmap that aims to maximize the competencies of the local administration to address the housing access issue.
She also emphasized that facilitating access to affordable housing will be a priority on the City Council’s agenda in the coming years.
At the same time, she underscored the importance of public-private collaboration and the significance of providing affordable housing «as quickly as possible» in anticipation of Gijón’s projected «exponential growth» in the upcoming years.
Martínez Salvador, on his part, praised this «innovative» plan that strives to ensure access to decent housing at a price most can afford.
To achieve this, the City Council will release more buildable land to construct protected housing, whether for rent or for sale, through this Plan Llave.
This will be done through two methods: the sale of plots for the construction of protected housing blocks where the resulting homes will be sold, and the granting of long-term surface rights for building housing intended for rent at a set price.
The City Council will use those municipal land plots, from mandatory allotments, for this purpose. The councilor pointed out that these lands, spread throughout the city, will not be sold at market land prices for free housing construction.
Furthermore, he emphasized that all homes will be of the same quality and will have the same features, regardless of the area they are built in.
He clarified that this is not social housing, as it is not intended for individuals at risk of exclusion or special vulnerability, but for people who, due to their income level, cannot access decent housing in the free market.
Regarding Phase 1 of the Plan Llave, whose tender will be approved next Tuesday, he explained that six municipal plots will be sold in three lots of two parcels each.
In total, around 120 homes subject to concerted public protection (VPC) can be built, with a price per square meter set by the Principality for 2025 at 2,124 euros.
He also noted that these homes must have a maximum usable area of 90 square meters, which can reach 120 square meters of usable area if social conditions require it and are properly justified.
Additionally, he highlighted that, under Law 2 of 2004 on urgent measures in housing, this type of public protection will apply for its entire useful life.
Martínez Salvador, who detailed all the lots to be tendered, distributed in various neighborhoods like Ceares, El Coto, or Nuevo Gijón, emphasized that the buildings to be constructed by the awardees must be «energy-efficient».
Furthermore, the projects will include a construction and demolition waste management study that will be developed subsequently in the corresponding plan, as established by Royal Decree 105 of 2008, of February 1, regulating the production and management of construction and demolition waste.
The building designs and construction techniques will also support circularity, demonstrating how they are designed to be «more efficient in the use of adaptable, flexible, and detachable resources to allow for reuse and recycling.»
He also stressed that the Gijón City Council will not receive any economic amount for the sale of these plots, opting for a land swap for future work, i.e., in exchange for finished homes as payment for the tender price.
He emphasized that this is a «certainly innovative» formula within the scope of public procurement, as it allows the transfer of property of a plot in exchange for future buildings, apartments, and annexes, a practice that, while not traditionally regulated expressly, has gained doctrinal and jurisprudential recognition due to its increasing use in real estate legal transactions, according to him.
In this regard, he pointed out that the awardee undertakes the obligation to carry out the work and deliver to the City Council a certain number of homes and annexes, garages, storage rooms, or other related elements, as previously defined in the terms.
These properties that will become City Council’s will be managed by Emvisa in the form of «affordable rent,» he highlighted.
For this reason, he emphasized that although Phase 1 of the Plan Llave is for the sale of apartments, it will also increase the municipal supply of public rent.
Furthermore, he indicated that the evaluation of offers will be carried out by technical personnel under the General Directorate of Urban Planning of the City Council.
Among other issues, sustainable integration into the environment must be demonstrated, and aspects such as universal accessibility, inclusive design, gender perspective in space design, energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, sustainable mobility, constructive durability, and high-quality material finishes will be valued.
Within the objective criteria, the sale price of the homes in relation to the maximum set by the Administration will also be assessed, as well as the reduction of deadlines «within what is possible and realistic.» He stressed that they will ensure the «strict» compliance with all deadlines set in the terms.
These include three months from the publication of the terms for the submission of offers; three months to request the necessary licenses; six months to start the works once the corresponding building rights are obtained; 30 months for the completion and acceptance of the works; and six months to deliver the homes and annexes by public deed.
He also detailed that the garages and storage rooms linked to the Plan Llave will be considered «inseparable» annexes, thus subject to the same legal protection regime as the homes to which they are attached.
Regarding the selection of buyers for these homes, they must, among other requirements, be registered in the Protected Housing Demand Registry of the Principality of Asturias, and demonstrate a minimum residency in Gijón of two years prior to the opening date for applications.
On another note, Martínez Salvador expressed his hope that this Plan Llave will be of interest to the Construction sector and extended a hand to the Principality to address the housing access issue.