Nearly 1,200 public homes are planned across 32 municipalities in Seville province, with sale prices around €115,000 and monthly rents capped at €350. Javier Fernández, president of the Diputación de Sevilla, outlined the programme at the closing session of the I Foro Municipalismo de Sevilla.
Fernández said the provincial projects respond to a housing market that is leaving young people and vulnerable residents behind. He criticised the Vivienda de Precio Limitado (VPL) model, arguing that homes priced above €300,000 in some areas should not count as protected housing. He also called on public authorities to control land planning and invest in affordable homes, with safeguards against speculation.
The housing measures are part of a broader call for an Andalusian plan to address depopulation. Fernández wants funded incentives that make it viable for self-employed workers and professionals to settle in rural municipalities beyond the metropolitan belt. The package would include financial assistance and help with housing access. It would also aim to attract doctors and teachers, as well as entrepreneurs, while making it easier for their partners to find work. Residents would have more options to work remotely. Fernández has also called for a funded, quantified regional plan, with incentives to retain doctors and teachers, as well as pharmacists, in rural communities.
Fernández argued that services and connectivity must be maintained across the province, and that investment decisions should not depend solely on financial returns. He singled out the Sierra Morena area, saying its natural park should be treated as an asset for the province. Public funding, he said, should help its municipalities provide the services residents need. He has linked rural depopulation to lost employment opportunities and inadequate basic services, particularly public transport and rail connections. Younger people leave more remote areas when they cannot find viable opportunities, he said. He has also said that no municipality in Seville province is currently at risk of disappearing.
Tourism is another part of the Diputación’s approach to rural economic activity. Fernández said around one million tourists visit the province specifically, in addition to people who come to the capital and then seek experiences elsewhere. He wants visitors to stay overnight and spend at local businesses instead of passing through. The Plan Más Sevilla Turístico has €30 million for around 70 projects, covering accommodation and motorhome areas, as well as active tourism. Separately, on 6 November 2026, the Diputación approved €19.5 million for tourism infrastructure and promotion projects in 44 municipalities through Más Sevilla Turístico 2026. Eligible projects include hotels and hostels, along with tourist apartments and rural houses. The funding also covers campsites and motorhome areas, plus infrastructure for active tourism. Seville capital and municipalities funded in the 2025 edition are excluded. Beneficiary local authorities are responsible for implementing the projects. The Junta de Andalucía’s 2027 budget planning also contemplated €1.798 million for tourism programmes in the province. That includes €230,000 for the first phase of Seville’s Plan Turístico de Grandes Ciudades, €500,000 for emerging tourism experiences, €990,000 for tourism infrastructure for small and medium-sized enterprises, and €78,000 to improve services in tourist municipalities.
He also supports a tourist tax and called on the Junta de Andalucía to establish a legal framework allowing it. Fernández said the revenue should go towards maintaining heritage and improving public services in places that receive visitors. He has argued that municipalities should be able to decide whether to apply the tax. He has also cited public transport and good rail services as necessary conditions for addressing depopulation.
His housing proposals form part of a wider debate on affordability, also reflected in coverage of Spain’s housing strike. At the forum, Fernández also urged the Junta to take a more active role in affordable housing. He said the Agencia de Vivienda y Rehabilitación de Andalucía (AVRA) was not promoting new affordable rental homes.
