Los new apartments those built in Spain should include less two bicycle parking spaces from mid-2026, if they do more than three parking spaces. The rules will also apply to residential buildings “under major renovations.”
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda has just opened a public consultation to amend the Technical Building Code (CTE), which, among other things, will replace the European legislation on the energy of building buildings. Most of the changes included are due to start on May 29, 2026. Others, from January 2027.
The department led by Isabel Rodríguez explains in a public consultation that one of its main goals is to “create new requirements” related to “the infrastructure for driving an electric car and the place for bicycles in the house.” Ministry sources confirm The Spanish Newspaper that, when the CTE amendment is approved, two bicycle parking spaces for each bicycle will be permitted.
The European Directive, of April 2024, requires promoting “ecological mobility”. He believes that buildings “can play a very important role in providing the necessary equipment, not only to drive an electric car but also to a bicycle.”
The standard recognizes that lack of parking is a “significant barrier” to cycling and considers that if minimum requirements this can be increased. These limitations include creating two spaces for each “unit” of the dwelling. In the case of new non-residential buildings, bicycle facilities “representing at least 15% of the general population or 10% of the total number of non-residential users” must be established.
The Directive clearly states, however, except for new residential buildings. According to his statement, “Member States may, after review by local authorities and taking into account local conditions, including population, location and climate, change the requirements related to the number of bicycle parking spaces.”
Plenty of parking in public buildings
Laura Vergara, spokeswoman for cycling safety association ConBici, also feels it is important for the organization to discuss pre-built non-residential buildings and about public buildings. In the past, it will be legal to create bicycle spaces with the same number of new spaces before January 2027, as long as the buildings already have twenty parking spaces. In the end, there is no mention of the bicycle, only the installation of pre-wiring for electric charging.
“Public housing is very important to society and informs the people who manage it,” says Vergara. “It’s a place where all people go: for example, a station. If we stop cars at all stations. we will support intermodality. “We want the same standard of housing to be in public housing.”
In addition, he continues: “We would have cut the parking space for bicycles due to the availability of parking spaces. we believe that this change is very demanding“. ConBici will present its recommendations in public consultation and hopes to meet with the Ministry later.
On the other hand, I know that in Spain there are no new buildings being built – about 100,000 houses a year, compared to about 900,000 that reached the years before the bubble -, ConBici will try to make the Ministry. necessary changes to facilitate the installation of bike racks in prefabricated buildings. Currently, residents who want to do so in their community must get three-fifths of the owners to vote, which turns these processes into true odysseys for their proponents.
“There are other ways to improve neighborhood choices,” Vergara concludes. “It will not be done in the CTE, but it should be done in the House Law by changing the Horizontal Property Law, for example. The Ministry has told us that this is the beginning, so we will continue to discuss with them.”
