Investment approach
Map of Restrictions Around Barcelona: PDUSC, Garraf, Collserola
A plot on the coast or in the hills around Barcelona is checked in layers: land class, the PDUSC plan, and the Garraf and Collserola park plans. What "non-urbanizable" means and the order of checks.
A plot around Barcelona is checked against four layers that overlap: the land class under the municipal plan, the PDUSC coastal plan, the special plan of the park (Garraf or Collserola) and the PTMB territorial plan. "Non-urbanizable" (suelo no urbanizable) is land where new housing is allowed only if it is directly tied to farming or forestry (except the refurbishment of masías and rural houses on the catalogue), and parcelaciones urbanísticas (subdivisions for building) are prohibited (art. 47 of the Llei d'urbanisme, Catalonia's planning law, consolidated text as of 13 October 2026). Below are the map of layers and the order of checks before the arras (reservation deposit contract). This describes the rules; it is not an assessment of a specific plot, which is for an abogado (lawyer) and an arquitecto (architect).
What layers of restrictions are there around Barcelona?
| Layer | Where it applies | What it restricts |
|---|---|---|
| Land class (Llei d'urbanisme) | Any plot | In non-urbanizable land, no new villas unrelated to farming; no dividing into plots for building |
| PDUSC (coastal plan, 2005) | Strip 500–2 000 m from the shore, 75 municipalities | Practically all non-urbanizable and urbanizable no delimitado land in the strip is excluded from urbanisation |
| Garraf park plan (1986, text of 2001) | Sitges, Castelldefels, Gavà, Sant Pere de Ribes and others | New detached buildings prohibited (with the plan's exceptions), extension limited |
| Collserola park plan (PEPNat, 2021) | The park and the "functional space" around it | New buildings generally not allowed; buildings outside the plan and the masía catalogue are targeted for removal |
| PTMB (2010) | Barcelona metropolitan area | Sits above the municipal plan, which must comply with it |
What does the PDUSC do and how far does it reach?
The Catalan coastal plan was approved in two stages: PDUSC-1 on 25.05.2005 and PDUSC-2 on 16.12.2005. According to Nel·lo's review in Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Geografia, 89 (2020), by 2020 the plans remained in force with some changes, and in the strip from 500 to 2 000 m from the shore practically all non-urbanizable and urbanizable no delimitado (non-delimited developable) land was meant to stay out of urbanisation. The plan affects 75 municipalities in whole or in part, and the area it protects is close to 24 000 ha. The author notes that this does not ban building on the coast outright: part of the urbanizable land in the first 1 000 metres remained. Whether the plan has changed since 2020, I did not check.
The practical conclusion from the review: land that became non-urbanizable costaner (coastal) cannot be reclassified as urbanizable, while the plan leaves suelo urbano (urban land) as it is. Whether your plot is costaner is shown by the PDUSC map at the Departament de Territori and by a certificate from the ayuntamiento (town council).
What is and is not allowed in the Garraf and Collserola parks?
Garraf. Under the text of the plan as amended in 2001 (approved by the Diputació on 26.07.2001), the territory is treated as saturated: any new detached building is prohibited, except facilities of the equipment network and the plan's special zones (art. 8.1). Reconstruction and repair of volumes that existed before 29.07.1986 are allowed (for the part added by the 2001 plan, before its publication; arts. 8.2–8.3). An extension of up to 50% of the existing volume is allowed, within 50 metres and without separating from the plot (art. 9). Such an extension uses up the plot's building potential (art. 10.1).
Worked example, not a forecast: existing volume 600 m³. Extension of no more than 300 m³. After it the plot's potential is used up, and the plan allows no further additions.
Collserola. The PEPNat plan was approved by the Govern (Catalan government) on 6 April 2021, published in the DOGC on 9 April 2021 and replaced the 1987 plan (Collserola park). Buildings outside the municipal plan and the masía catalogue are, under art. 53 of the regulatory part, targeted for immediate or deferred removal. Consolidation and growth in volume are prohibited for them, except repairs for safety and preservation, and to repair one must prove permanent residential use before the plan's initial approval. Buildings with non-conforming volume (art. 52) allow only strict maintenance with no extension.
In what order should a plot be checked?
- Ask the ayuntamiento for a certificate of the land class and the plan in force (how to read the plan).
- Check the boundaries against the PDUSC, the park and the PEIN (Catalonia's natural areas plan) at the Departament de Territori and at the Diputació or the park consortium.
- Check whether the building is on the masía catalogue and when it was built relative to the plan's key dates.
- Make sure the plot has not been divided: parcelaciones in non-urbanizable land are prohibited, and in the Garraf liability for illegal division is joint (art. 17).
- If the plot is by the shore, add the coastal law check (Ley de Costas and the villa).
- Hand the results to the abogado and arquitecto before signing the arras.
For the Sitges and Sant Pere de Ribes area in detail: plots in the Garraf; for the Maresme coast: Maresme and Garraf.
When this map will not help
It does not show what the boundary actually looks like on the ground: the boundaries are drawn by the plans, not by this article. It does not work for suelo urbano inside a town, where other rules apply, or for plots outside the plans and parks named. The texts of the plans may have changed, so every request to the administration should state the version date. If the plot is needed for a project with a licence, a written answer from the ayuntamiento comes first, not a map. The land line of work is described on the land page, a calculation can be sketched in the calculator; consultation: contact.
Questions and answers
What does "non-urbanizable" mean in plain words?
It is land that the plan does not allow to be built up like a town. New houses are allowed only if directly tied to farming on the plot, plus refurbishment of masías and rural houses on the catalogue, and the land cannot be divided for building.
What is the PDUSC?
It is the 2005 coastal plan of Catalonia. In the strip 500–2 000 m from the shore it gave most non-urbanizable land the "costaner" status, under which it cannot be reclassified as urbanizable.
Can a new house be built in the Garraf park?
No: under the 2001 plan text a new detached building is prohibited, with narrow exceptions in the plan; reconstruction and extension of the existing volume by up to 50% are allowed. Whether the text has changed since is checked by an abogado at the Diputació.
What happens to a house in the Collserola park that is not on the masía catalogue?
The plan sets a goal of gradually removing such buildings. Growth in volume is prohibited and repair is possible only to a limited extent. The status of a specific house is checked by an abogado in the regulatory part and the action programme.
Where do I start checking a plot?
With a written certificate from the ayuntamiento on the land class and the plan, then a check against the PDUSC, the park boundaries and the masía catalogue.
