Plan Regulador Comunal (PRC): when urban rules change and conflict arises
The Communal Regulatory Plan (PRC) is a set of rules that define how the territory can be used and built within a commune, and that seek an orderly urban development, framed within the General Law of Urbanism and Constructions (LGUC). Some of the regulations are:
Building Regulations:
- Maximum height: Determines the limit of floors or metres that a building can have (for example, the new PRC of Estación Central limits it to 12 floors).
- Occupancy Coefficients: Establishes what percentage of the land can be covered by the building both on the ground and on the upper floors.
- Maximum density: Sets the number of inhabitants or dwellings allowed per hectare.
- Spacings and gradients: Defines the minimum distance to neighbours (generally 3 metres for low buildings) and the angles of shade to protect privacy and sunlight.
Land Use:
- Zoning: Divides the commune into areas where only certain uses are allowed (residential, commercial, industrial or green areas).
- Risk Restrictions: Areas where construction is prohibited due to flooding, landslides or proximity to geological faults.
Special Areas and Protection:
- Historic Preservation: Strict limitations to intervene in buildings or areas with heritage value.
- Facilities and Roads: Land reserves for future streets, squares, schools or health centres.
Infrastructure Requirements:
- Parking: Obligation to include a minimum number of vehicle spaces for each flat or commercial premises.
- Perimeter fences: Standards for the height and type of fences or walls facing the public road.
Sometimes, the updates or modifications of the PRC generate less favourable regulations for certain zones in relation to those they originally had, generating conflicts between their owners and the communal authority; this is the case of the recent appeal of illegality filed by ENACO against the Municipality of Lo Barnechea, before the Court of Appeals of Santiago, requesting that the mayoral decree be declared illegal.
