Seville Port approves agreement to reduce building capacity by 30% in Las Razas

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Seville has given the green light to the agreement it will sign with the City Council to modify the PGOU in the ARI-DBP-08 area, reducing building capacity by 30% and opening the city to the dock.

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Seville (APS) approved this Wednesday the urban planning agreement it will sign with the City Council of Seville to promote the transformation of the area around Avenida de Las Razas, within the framework of the Urban Port District. The agreement includes a 30% reduction in building capacity in the ARI-DBP-08 area, which will decrease from 137,000 square meters of roof space to 98,000, and a change in classification from Advanced Services to residential and tertiary uses.

The agreement, the result of months of joint work between both administrations, aims to eliminate the barrier effect currently posed by the warehouses and storage facilities located on the eastern bank of the avenue. The new planning will prioritise physical and visual permeability between the city and the dock, with pedestrian spaces, east-west connections, and the preservation of natural heritage. As noted by the president of the APS, Rafael Carmona, during the Board meeting, “this agreement represents a decisive step towards integrating the port into the city, gaining space for citizens and improving urban quality.”

One of the key points of the agreement is the exchange of the land of the April Fair, owned by the APS, for development rights in the ARI-DBP-08 area. This land, which corresponds to the old railway line of the port and runs parallel to Avenida Juan Pablo II, will be transferred to the City Council for urban development. In return, the APS will receive building rights in the Las Razas area, which will help finance part of the planned actions.

Additionally, the Port Authority will contribute 2.1 million euros for local facilities, which will be allocated to the rehabilitation of the ‘La Casa de los Estibadores’ building as a Civic Centre, a community demand raised during the participatory process of the Urban Port District Master Plan. The parcels currently occupied by the ‘Punta del Verde’ Institute, the ‘Corpus Christi’ School, and the Scientific Computing Centre of Andalusia will also be transferred to the City Council, free of charges, and will maintain their current use.

The reduction in building capacity will not only improve the visual connection with the river but will also enhance the value of heritage elements such as the warehouses from 1929 and the port sheds. The area will be structured around a general system of free spaces that will complete the head of the Guadaíra Park, and another local space that will recover the old Exhibition Square of 1929. Furthermore, the expansion of Avenida de Las Razas is planned with wider sidewalks and the enhancement of the confluence with Páez de Ribera as an access point to the area.

In the same session, the Board of Directors approved the extension of the license for Remolcadores del Guadalquivir SA for the towing service to ships, as well as a concession to Astilleros Malandar at Playa de Bonanza in Sanlúcar de Barrameda to occupy a plot of 7,000 square meters. The annual accounts for 2025 were also approved, and the progress of the 2027 Business Plan was acknowledged.

The agreement marks a milestone in the port-city relationship, after years of debate on how to integrate port lands into the urban fabric. The modification of the PGOU must now be ratified by the municipal plenary, presumably in the coming months, so that works can begin by the end of 2027. Local residents, who have actively participated in the process, hope that the project will “bring the river back to the city,” according to statements from the Triana residents' association.