The file for the future mosque in Polígono Sur has been withdrawn from the Urban Planning Commission to gather new reports. The decision, motivated by Vox's allegations, postpones a project that has become an open political front.
The construction license for the mosque planned in the Polígono Sur area of Seville is currently suspended. The city council withdrew the file related to the authorization of the works from the agenda of the Executive Commission of Urban Planning yesterday to request new technical and legal reports. This decision postpones the processing of a project that had recently become one of the first political fronts opened after the legislative agreement between PP and Vox.
A Political Halt
The official reason is the need to complete the file before making a final decision. The Urban Planning delegate, Juan de la Rosa, explained that the withdrawal responds to the municipal will to thoroughly analyse the allegations and observations presented by Vox. "The item regarding the construction license for the mosque on Victoria Domínguez Cerrato Street has been withdrawn from the Executive Commission of Urban Planning," the councillor stated.
De la Rosa added that the aim is to "request the technical and legal reports that will allow us to assess, with all the seriousness it deserves, the observations presented by Vox in their document." The delegate also specified that the City Council will not decide whether the file returns to the Commission until those documents are available. "Only when we have those reports on the table will we decide whether the matter is taken into consideration or not," he affirmed.
The municipal official also tried to downplay the exceptional nature of the measure. He indicated that withdrawing items from the agenda for further study is a common practice within the Urban Planning Management. "There is no reason to be surprised by this fact. Withdrawing an item from the agenda for more detailed study is nothing new; it has been done before with other files and simply responds to doing things with all legal guarantees," he maintained.
Vox Celebrates the Halt and Fuels Controversy
The example of the political charge that this file has acquired is Vox's immediate reaction. The party celebrated the municipal decision and interpreted it as a victory for their strategy to halt the project. The municipal spokesperson, Gonzalo García de Polavieja, expressed his satisfaction because, in his view, the local government has been "sensitive" to his group's requests.
Vox has turned the future mosque into one of the symbols of its discourse on immigration and cultural identity. Last Tuesday, the Vice President of the Junta, Manuel Gavira, had already linked the project to what he calls the "Islamisation of the neighbourhoods." He stated that those who wanted "Arabic language and Moroccan culture" could go to "the mosque they want to build in Seville," while also indicating that his party would attempt to stop the initiative from the City Council.
He also invited criticism of the "Muslim priority" in healthcare at the mosque as the "national priority" of the Andalusian pact. The temporary halt of the file comes after Vox asserted that residents need more information and called for a participatory process. Vox insisted that their party will not allow "the Islamisation of the neighbourhoods" and defended that there is local opposition in nearby areas such as La Oliva, Bami, Tiro de Línea, or the Virgen del Rocío surroundings.
What Happens Now with the Mosque?
For now, the project remains in limbo. The City Council has not set deadlines for issuing the new reports or for the possible return of the file to the Urban Planning Commission. Residents of Polígono Sur and surrounding neighbourhoods will continue to wait for a decision that, judging by recent events, seems more political than technical. What is clear is that if the mosque materialises, it will not be in the short term. Meanwhile, the debate on integration, religious freedom, and the use of public space remains open in Seville.
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