Cooperative housing continues to grow in Catalonia! This week we bought a building in Street Ponent from Palafrugell, where we will be able to carry out a cooperative housing project of six homes under a right of use regime.

The property was owned by a bank as a result of a foreclosure process and its sale had already been agreed with an international investment fund, but we were able to make the purchase beforehand due to the right of first refusal. The acquisition was made thanks to a loan from the Catalan Institute of Finance, which has a bonus from the Housing Agency of Catalonia.

We were able to make the purchase through the right of first refusal in force since the approval of the Law Decree 1/2015 of extraordinary and urgent measures for the mobilization of homes resulting from mortgage foreclosure processes. With the approval of this decree, preference is given to the Generalitat, town councils and social promoters as a Sostre Cívic for the purchase of these homes.

It's the second time we've made a purchase for the right of first refusal: it's been a few months now we bought another building using the same procedure in Martorell, to acquire 11 homes with an average surface area of ​​48m2 in the center of the town. The homes will have the official protection qualification or HPO, and will be allocated to members of the cooperative who have an income not exceeding 3,5 of the IRSC.

Collaboration with the town council

To make this project possible, we have signed an agreement with Palafrugell Town Council with the aim of promoting cooperative social protection housing in the town. As a result of this agreement, the City Council will contribute 40.000 euros, spread over two years, to help make this project possible, the first of its kind to be undertaken in the municipality.

According to Josep Piferrer, mayor of Palafrugell, "with this agreement we have the possibility of making housing available to our citizens at social prices, removing them from the speculative market, and at the same time, we give utility to an empty property.".

Recovery of disused assets

With this purchase we continue the series of acquisitions we will make to carry out the agreement approved inGeneral Assembly last February 22.

The purchase of already built buildings is one of our strategic ways with the aim of activating disused heritage for new cooperative housing projects and guaranteeing the right to decent and stable housing under a non-speculative model. In addition, it allows us to increase the stock of social housing in a much shorter time than with new construction projects.