Additional criteria for hotels on small plots
The Environment Ministry has set new restrictions on the construction of hotels in off-plan areas, on plots of 0.4 to 0.8 hectares.
These include reducing construction energy requirements, limits on landscape changes, and reducing water consumption.
The restrictions do not apply to hotels in Natura areas, where the minimum is set at 1 hectare (or other areas under a different regime).
The overarching aim of these restrictions is to limit off-plan building. However, the steps have been criticized for being too few and not bold enough. Moreover, there is reportedly political pressure to remove them.
Up until two years ago, the construction of hotels on plots of 0.4 hectares or more in off-plan areas was normally allowed (based on a 1978 presidential decree). In 2020, Law 4759 set for the first time a minimum of 0.8 hectares, allowing hotel construction on smaller plots, provided they met certain criteria.
