The Territorial Commission of Catalonia has given the green light to the Municipal Urban Planning Plan of Mollet del Vallès, which sets the growth guidelines until 2040 with a model of a compact and sustainable city.
The Territorial Commission of Catalonia has definitively approved the new Municipal Urban Planning Plan (POUM) of Mollet del Vallès, an instrument that will define the urban development of the city over the next two decades. The plan advocates for contained growth, the promotion of affordable housing, and the protection of natural spaces, according to the city council.
The mayor of Mollet del Vallès, Mireia Dionisio Calé, described the approval as "a historic day" and emphasised that the POUM "will mark the future of the city for the coming decades." Dionisio thanked the involvement of the technical and professional teams that participated in its preparation and processing.
The new planning anticipates a total offer of nearly 2,950 new homes, a figure considered sufficient to absorb the expected demographic growth, which could place the population at 58,500 inhabitants. Of these, more than half will be protected: exactly 1,552 new protected homes, which will be added to the already existing or under promotion to reach a total reserve of 4,132 homes intended for social policies.
The main development area will be the Calderí sector, where the construction of about 1,406 homes is planned, with a reservation of 40% for protected housing. In addition, various urban improvement plans will be executed in different neighbourhoods, prioritising regeneration and densification in consolidated areas.
In the economic sphere, the POUM reinforces Mollet's role as an economic hub of Vallès. New land is reserved for productive and logistical activity, highlighting the sectors of Can Prat, Can Prat Sud, and La Teneria, which total more than 323,000 square metres of space for economic activities. An additional 42,783 square metres are included in Calderí. The plan also advocates for the modernisation of existing industrial estates and the improvement of internal and external connections.
Regarding green spaces, the planning defines a large structure that connects the two major natural spaces of the municipality: Gallecs and the Besòs River. A network of civic axes, green streets, and pedestrian and cycling routes will be created to link neighbourhoods, facilities, and parks. In Gallecs, its role as a large metropolitan territorial park is consolidated, preserving its agricultural, ecological, and landscape values. In the Besòs, accessibility will be improved, and physical barriers will be removed to turn it into a space for environmental and civic interaction.
The POUM also incorporates measures to reduce the impact of the large infrastructures that cross the municipality, such as the AP-7, the C-17, or the railway lines. Among the planned actions are the improvement of connectivity between neighbourhoods, the promotion of walking and cycling, new modal interchange parking linked to the stations, the reservation of land for future metropolitan infrastructures, and the urban integration of the railway as it passes through the city.
The mayor highlighted that the POUM is "a good plan for the city because it advocates for a model of contained and sustainable growth, a compact city, more affordable housing, the protection of natural spaces, and the strengthening of economic activity."
With this approval, Mollet del Vallès has an updated urban framework to face the social, environmental, and economic challenges of the coming decades, with a time horizon set for 2040.
