EU calls for reform of planning laws

The European parliament wants Spanish planning laws to be changed to stop developers being able to acquire private land below market rates and force homeowners from their properties. In some regions planning authorities have been redesignating private land for urban use and rubber-stamping applications from developers, who then offer well below the market rate for the property or threaten to demolish the home. The government ruled the planners’ actions illegal and an EU report called for Spain to protect the rights of homeowners.