Cádiz multiplies by five the licenses to create housing in commercial premises

Cádiz has multiplied by five the permits to convert commercial spaces and offices into housing. The number has gone from 7 to 34 permits granted or in process, with four more pending Heritage Commission approval. The change comes after the amendment of the PGOU that reduced the commercial axes of the historic center, while the City Council limits new tourist housing and hotel uses on residential land.

What has changed in Cádiz to create more housing

How many permits have been granted?

The comparison provided by the City Council shows a clear leap. Between September 1, 2024, and August 31, 2025, **seven permits** were granted to transform commercial spaces and offices into housing. During the same period between 2025 and 2026, the number of permits granted or in process reached 34.

The figure could reach **38 permits**, as four are pending review by the Heritage Commission. The difference is not minor: the city council uses this development to argue that the measures applied to generate housing are having a visible effect in the city.

Bruno García has described the balance as “very positive” and has assured that the number of permits “has multiplied by five.” The expression summarizes the political reading of the City Council, but it also allows seeing the change from a practical point of view: spaces that previously had commercial or office uses can now be converted into housing, always within the established procedure.

Two specific projects quantify the change

The Local Government Board has approved a construction permit to adapt a space into **four housing units in Plaza Tres Carabelas**. This is one of the concrete examples with which the City Council explains how the reduction of commercial axes can translate into new residential units.

The second permit affects a rehabilitation and expansion project of a building located on **Avenida Cuatro de diciembre de 1977**. The project includes 17 housing units and one commercial space, in a property that previously had a hotel use.

Together, these two files add up to 21 projected housing units, although they belong to different operations and the source does not present them as the total housing linked to the 34 permits. The distinction is relevant: one thing is to count authorizations, and another, to sum the housing that each file can generate. The papers give the clue; the construction will reveal the real scope.

The PGOU modification changes the use of commercial spaces

Why is the reduction of commercial axes decisive?

The measure allows certain commercial spaces and offices in the historic center to be used as housing. For owners and developers, this regulatory change opens a route that was previously more limited by the commercial axes regulation.

The City Council initially approved the specific amendment of the PGOU in **June 2025**, with final approval arriving in **February 2026**. This sequence helps understand why the increase in permits is being analyzed now: the urban planning framework changed first, and then transformation files began to emerge.

From a local perspective, the key is the permitted use for each property. It is not about automatically converting any space but about processing construction permits within the current regulations. This fits the case of Plaza Tres Carabelas and the building on Avenida Cuatro de diciembre de 1977.

The decision also modifies the balance between commercial activity and housing in central Cádiz. The City Council presents the reduction of commercial axes as one of three measures adopted to generate more housing, along with the suspension of the tourist housing registry and the safeguarding of residential land.

What is the relationship between the measure and hotels and tourist apartments?

The governing team has linked the transformation of commercial spaces with a broader policy on residential and tourist uses. The regulation aims to reserve residential land for housing and prevent the establishment of hotels and tourist apartments in those spaces.

According to the mayor’s explanation, hotels and tourist apartments can only be located in areas designated in the PGOU as hotel use. The suspension of the tourist housing registry is part of the same package of measures, although its effects are measured with different data than those of construction permits.

The outcome defended by the City Council is twofold: more files to create housing from commercial spaces and offices, and fewer tourist houses than at the peak of registration. Currently, the city has **2,371 TPH**, 265 fewer than at the end of 2023, when the highest figure was reached, and 99 fewer than in June 2023.

The local reading is not simple because the figures describe different procedures and records. A construction permit opens the door to a physical transformation; a registered TPH reflects a tourist use. The interest lies precisely in observing how both lines of action relate to the availability of housing in Cádiz without confusing their magnitudes.

City Council data on tourist housing

How many tourist housings are there now?

The number communicated by the mayor is **2,371 tourist housing units** in Cádiz. This figure represents a reduction of 265 units compared to the end of 2023 and 99 fewer than in June 2023, when the current government took office.

The City Council uses these figures to argue that the measures applied have curbed the growth of TPH registration. The temporal comparison provides a concrete reference, although the source does not detail how many of these units have later changed to residential use nor how many are linked to the new construction files.

For this reason, it is advisable to separate the two indicators. The 34 permits granted or in process correspond to the transformation of commercial spaces and offices into housing; the 2,371 TPH correspond to the number of tourist housings the City Council offers as a current figure. Together they form part of the housing debate but are not equivalent.

How does the City Council compare permits from the two administrations?

The mayor has compared registrations and permits granted during the previous mandate with those of the current government. For tourist housing, the previous administration registered 2,228, while the current one has registered 147 after implementing the new measures.

Regarding hotels and hostels, the City Council places the number at **18 permits** granted under the previous government and two under the current one. For tourist apartments, the comparison is 1,146 permits versus 301.

• Registered tourist housing: 2,228 under the previous mandate and 147 under the current one.
• Hotels and hostels: 18 permits versus 2.
• Tourist apartments: 1,146 permits versus 301.

These data come from the balance made by Bruno García and serve to explain the direction of the municipal policy. The City Council’s message is clear: reduce pressure from tourist uses and facilitate the creation of housing through the adaptation of commercial spaces and offices.

The figure that most affects those following Cádiz’s urban development is, for now, that of transformation permits: going from seven to 34 granted or in process marks a change in pace. The remaining question is how many projects will end up materializing and when these houses will be available, something the supplied information does not specify.

The urban movement in Cádiz now has a central figure: **permits to transform commercial spaces and offices into housing have increased from 7 to 34**, with four more files pending Heritage approval. Plaza Tres Carabelas and Avenida Cuatro de diciembre de 1977 illustrate how the measure is implemented, while the City Council maintains its strategy to reduce new tourist uses on residential land.

Article source: Europa Press