The spokesperson for Vox in the Seville City Council, Gonzalo García de Polavieja, has registered a proposal to limit tourist apartments in the city. The party aims to reduce the number of licenses by over 10,000 to ease housing pressure.
The spokesperson for Vox in the Seville City Council, Gonzalo García de Polavieja, registered a proposal on Wednesday to limit tourist apartments in the city. The initiative proposes to reduce the current number of licenses by over 10,000, aiming to curb the rising rental prices and facilitate housing access for the people of Seville.
A drastic reduction to regain balance
As García de Polavieja explained in an audio message sent to the media, Vox's proposal seeks to “regain the balance between tourist activity and the right of residents to continue living in their neighbourhoods.” The spokesperson noted that the pressure from tourist apartments is “expelling families from their neighbourhoods” and making it difficult to access affordable rentals.
The party has not specified the exact number of licenses that would remain after the reduction, but has assured that the cut would be “more than 10,000.” Currently, Seville has around 15,000 registered tourist accommodation properties, according to City Council data. Therefore, Vox's proposal would set the cap at around 5,000.
“We cannot allow the pressure on housing to continue expelling families from their neighbourhoods or making it difficult to access rentals,” García de Polavieja stated.
Tourism yes, but in an orderly manner
The spokesperson for Vox made it clear that the measure “does not represent an opposition to tourism, but quite the opposite.” He reminded that tourism is “a strategic sector that generates wealth, employment, and opportunities,” but insisted that “its growth must be orderly and compatible with the daily lives of the people of Seville.”
The proposal is part of the ongoing debate in the city regarding the regulation of tourist apartments, a topic that worries thousands of residents who see rental prices skyrocketing in historic centres and neighbourhoods like Arenal, Macarena, or Triana. According to a recent study by the City Council, the average rental price in Seville has risen by 35% in the last five years, and tourist apartments account for up to 40% of the supply in some areas.
García de Polavieja has called on other municipal groups to support the measure, hoping that “they will act responsibly and be able to back a measure that addresses a real concern for thousands of Sevillians.”
Next steps
Vox's proposal will be debated at the next plenary session of the Seville City Council, likely in the February session. To move forward, it would need the support of at least a simple majority of councillors. The municipal government, formed by PP and Cs, has not yet commented on the initiative, although municipal sources have indicated that they will study the proposal “seriously.”
Meanwhile, residents of the most affected neighbourhoods continue to demand urgent measures. The neighbourhood association of the Centre has shown its support for Vox's initiative, although it requests that it be extended to the whole city and not just the historic centre. “We have been seeing how homes are turning into hotels for years, and young people have to move to the outskirts,” its president stated.
Vox's proposal adds to other similar initiatives in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, or Málaga, where restrictions on tourist apartments have already been approved to curb gentrification. In Seville, the debate is on, and the coming months will be crucial in deciding the future of housing in the Andalusian capital.
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