Barcelona City Council announced on Thursday the start of the transformation of Fira de Barcelona, which will include the construction of a new residential neighborhood in Poble-Sec which will include 548 public homes, amenities and more than 6,800 square meters of green space.
Deputy Mayors Laia Bonet and Jordi Valls were responsible, on Thursday, for announcing the approval of the Special Plan for Urban Planning and Urban Improvement, which, after years of study, concludes the “fitting together of the pieces” expected through the amendment of the General Urban Plan at the end of 2022.
This action includes several projects, including organizing the foundation for the future L2 terminal and the connections between the pavilions for the renovation of the exhibition grounds. “Making Montjuïc and its neighborhoods a new urban center and consolidating it as a green lung and center for major cultural and sporting events is another step,” stressed First Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet.
This new residential area will include the construction of houses, facilities and urbanization of the area. The budget is €90 million and works will start in 2029 and finish in 2033. In terms of housing, 48 public housing units have been added to the 500 public apartments expected in the MPGM plan for 2022 – which had a 2029 horizon but will now not start construction until that date – and 48 public housing units have been added, which the government hopes will be ready by 2033. Bonnet justified the delay in the project to ensure that all “The pieces had to fall into place.”
Valls emphasized that these new buildings will remain an administrative part of the Poble Sec neighborhood. The 500 homes will be divided into three enclosed blocks adjacent to the existing Universe Square, which will generate a new central and open space of approximately 2,400 square meters and an adjacent small square of 800 square metres. The apartments will be accompanied by a total of 18,400 square meters of new equipment: in addition to the CAP, the Poble-sec Sports Center and the green areas, it is also planned to expand the Jacint Verdaguer School Stadium, renovate the Barcelona Emergency Operations Coordination Center (CECOR) and move the urban police vehicle depot to one of the blocks.
Valls commented that the Barcelona City Council also approved the Special Urban Development and Urban Improvement Plan, which aims to rehabilitate Alfonso
In this context, this plan redefines the distribution of facilities and free spaces, adapts the uses to the needs derived from the transformation of Fira, and defines the conditions for the rehabilitation of Kasserine, ensuring the preservation of the cataloged architectural heritage.