The Pla d'Urgell Regional Council wants to match the high demand for housing, especially among young people who want to stay and live in the region, and the large number of empty houses in the towns.
According to the president of the Regional Council, Carles Palau, statistics indicate that there are about 1,500 empty homes in Pla d'Urgell, which represents 17% of the total in the region. With these data, in autumn the 'Full Houses' campaign was launched. Living towns' with the aim of stopping the depopulation that has accumulated over the last 10 years. The Consell guarantees owners who put their empty home on the stock market that they will be "accompanied" in the management of the procedures and possible aid to rehabilitate the property.
Carles Palau explains that Pla d'Urgell does not escape the problem of depopulation that affects a good part of Catalonia, especially rural areas.
He adds that sometimes perhaps one is not aware enough because it is not very high but it does advance like a "drop that drips every day." He maintains that it is really worrying since not only human potential and human wealth are lost but also services such as schools or stores, which once closed, cost a lot to reopen.
The region has been in this situation for more or less 10 years with a population decline in all towns. Palau assures that it may seem strange because Pla d'Urgell is very well connected and is not located at one end of the country, but on the contrary, it is located at a point that acts as a backbone, between Barcelona and Madrid, but "unfortunately the situation is one of gradual population loss."
There is a lot of demand for housing, especially from young people who want to become independent, but also from workers who have found work in the region who find it difficult to find housing.
The objective of the campaign focuses, above all, on trying to give peace of mind to owners who can put their home on the market. Behind it is the support of the regional council and the Generalitat with the Catalan Housing Agency through its safe housing rental program.
The president of the Consell points out that the profile of the houses that are being listed on the stock market is that of the "typical old home" that someone has inherited in the town after the death of a family member. When this happens, many people are reluctant to rent or sell it due to emotional reasons.
Palau points out that keeping a house closed entails many expenses and if there is no maintenance "it falls apart." The campaign _states_ offers the possibility for the owner to have income and the house to be kept for longer.
