Keruin Martínez, a councillor for the left-wing political party Izquierda Unida (United Left), met with residents affected by the Bosques de Santander PSIR (Plan de Suelo Industrial de Rucandial) project on Thursday. He expressed his commitment to fight against the development, stating, “Gema Igual cannot claim to support the residents while backing a project that threatens their homes.”
During the meeting held in Rucandial Park, one of the areas most impacted by the proposed development, Martínez called on the mayor to demand the Cantabria government halt the project. He emphasised that “the future of a neighbourhood cannot rest in the hands of a private developer while families living there face uncertainty.”
Martínez urged Gema Igual to act “with courage” and follow the example of other mayors who have sided with residents in similar situations, such as the recent case in Olucas, Villaverde de Pontones. He also pointed fingers at the ruling Partido Popular (People's Party) in both Santander and Cantabria, which has promoted and defended the PSIR.
“Bosques de Santander is a marketing name that seeks to disguise what is essentially a bulldozer for the residents of Rucandial, where their homes and way of life are at stake,” Martínez argued. He accused the regional government of using the announcement of the project as an electoral tactic to gain favour in the housing debate, despite the fact that it has been in the works for over two decades.
He pointed out that the current Director of Urban Planning, Víctor Manuel Gil, has been involved since the project's inception, highlighting a lack of accountability from local leaders. Martínez stated, “María José Sáenz de Buruaga and Roberto Media saw an opportunity to present themselves as defenders of housing, when in reality they have acted as useful stewards for private interests over public welfare.”
Martínez lamented that the public is being misled into believing that institutions cannot intervene to stop the project, asserting that the PSIR is a public tool under the control of the Cantabria government. “Institutions cannot act as if they are detached, putting on firefighter uniforms when they are the ones who started the fire,” he insisted.
He noted that the residents' response has shifted the narrative, but warned that promises of solutions are insufficient without clear plans for their homes and the neighbourhood. Martínez also questioned the validity of promises regarding the construction of Protected Housing (Viviendas de Protección Oficial, VPO) or a proposed justice city as justifications for the PSIR, demanding concrete commitments.
“Housing cannot serve as a pretext for creating a windfall at the expense of those who already live there. If these VPOs are the argument for advancing the PSIR, the government and the city council have the tools to promote them on available land and vacant lots, as we have been demanding for years in municipal sessions. There is no need to jeopardise the homes of Rucandial to promise VPOs,” Martínez reiterated.
He also reminded attendees that this operation coincides with Santander's efforts to draft a new General Urban Plan (PGOU), a process that has faced years of delays. “The city is beginning to decide what urban model it wants for the coming decades, after the previous plan was annulled for proposing excessive growth and the Supreme Court ruled that sufficient water resources had not been demonstrated to support the anticipated expansion,” Martínez explained.
“Repeating this lack of planning indicates that we have learned nothing from past mistakes. It is unacceptable to continue prioritising large private profits while leaving the city's organisation and planning in the hands of a developer like Real de Piasca,” he asserted.
Protecting homes and lives
Izquierda Unida has stressed the importance of safeguarding a well-established neighbourhood. In Rucandial, families have lived for generations, many with young children, alongside newcomers who have recently renovated their homes. “We are not talking about parcels on a map, but about homes and lives built here long before this project threatened to change everything,” Martínez stated.
During the meeting, he urged residents to maintain unity, even if some homes are promised to be excluded from the PSIR. “Saving a few houses on paper does not resolve the issue if they are surrounded by development, isolated and subjected to the pressure of transformation advancing around them.”
Both Martínez and the residents recalled the situation of Hermanos Calderón, where families report pressure to vacate their homes. “These are different cases, but they raise the same question: is it enough to save a house initially to prevent pressure on neighbours later?” Martínez warned.
“Real de Piasca is pursuing a business interest, and for them, this is merely about numbers and profit margins. However, the Cantabria government and the Santander city council have a duty to defend those living in the neighbourhood,” he concluded. “A public representative must prioritise families, not facilitate an urban operation at their expense. As long as the PSIR moves forward, Rucandial will continue to live in uncertainty. It is not enough to save a few houses; the project threatening the entire neighbourhood must be stopped.”
