It’s over. The last VPO homes to be sold in Euskadi are in Bilbao, in Zorrozaurre, right in front of the island that will be one of the areas of new real estate expansion in Bilbao. There are 120 protected homes for sale that will be delivered to their new owners in spring and that the Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda, Denis Itxaso, presented this Monday accompanied by the Housing Councilor of the Bilbao City Council, Yolanda Díez. Because in the capital of Biscay “close collaboration between the Government and the City Council on Housing matters does work”, as the counselor has highlighted, contrasting it with the criticism he launched at the town councils governed by EH Bildu last Friday in the Basque Parliament online the need for town councils to give up plots of land to build subsidized housing. From now on, all these housing developments will only have one purpose, rental.
As the counselor recalled, the shift in the protected housing policy towards rental is not new, the Basque Parliament approved it in 2015. First for 80% of public developments and since 2020, 100% must be dedicated to rental. But “there are promotions that have survived to this day in accordance with the previous legislation,” he justified. With this block the VPO for sale ends to focus public effort on rent.
The block of 120 homes presented this Monday, in which 14.29 million euros have been invested, located in a privileged location on the edge of the estuary, next to the Frank Gehry Bridge, is already practically sold in its entirety. There are only three contracts left to sign, at a price of 141,600 euros for the typical two-bedroom apartments. There are 53 of this size, of which five are adapted for people with reduced mobility. The rest, 67, have three rooms. All include a garage and storage room and have a terrace. “When people walk along this river promenade they will not really be able to differentiate whether the homes we are in front of are free or protected because the quality standards with which they are built are high, of quality, of thermal comfort, of course, but also aesthetics,” said the counselor.
Itxaso has highlighted the importance of this action in Zorrotzaurre, “a key area for the urban development of Bilbao”, and has explained that “here alone the Department of Housing and Urban Agenda currently has 298 protected homes in progress which, added to those already built and those that are being planned, could reach 1,300.” To these, he added, “there are another almost 1,400 homes in different parts of Bilbao such as Bolueta, Otxarkoaga, Txurdinaga or Peñascal, among others, consolidating our commitment to access to decent housing for citizens.” With both, therefore, “a total of 2,700 homes can be reached in this city,” Itxaso stressed.

Regarding the Zorrozaurre project, the peninsula converted into an island since 2018 thanks to the opening of the Deusto canal, Itxaso has highlighted that it has been planned to combine residential, commercial and recreational uses, “ensuring a compact urban development and favoring sustainable mobility”. The project includes approximately 5,600 homes, half of them under public protection, with around 1,300 protected homes promoted by the Basque Government, emphasizing accessibility and diversity. “I believe that Zorrozaurre is the great area of opportunity for Bilbao. We as the Basque Government are involved in it like no other actor,” said the counselor.
The counselor has also referred to the demonstration for the right to housing that toured the streets of Bilbao on Saturday. Itxaso has claimed to understand the “social unrest” that is generated by the “tense” housing market. “I understand it perfectly. “You have to be very far from reality to not understand that there are many families who have a really bad time and who are making an extra effort to pay housing costs,” he indicated. That said, he has assured not to share the criticism that was expressed in the march against the Housing Law, which was described as a scam. “I cannot agree with this statement,” said the counselor, who recalled that thanks to this Law, the stressed areas are being put into action.
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