Sant Andreu gains a plot of 6,000 m2 for public facilities at the site of the former barracks
In a swap contract with Mémora Serveis Funeraris, the property at Passeig de Santa Coloma, 22-24, will become wholly municipally owned and will have none of the wake rooms originally planned. In exchange, the funeral company will receive a municipally owned plot in Carrer de Potosí, to use for wake rooms for the same district.
The site is located on the corner between Passeig ed Santa Coloma and Carrer Gran de Sant Andreu, in the area of the former barracks. It has a surface area of 1,984,93 square metres, with a buildable space of 6,000 square metres. Uses will have to be agreed on with local residents so that they can be adapted to meet the current needs of the neighbourhood.
The swap means that Mémora Servies Funeraris will receive the municipally owned property at Carrer de Potosí, 1-3, with 820 square metres and 1,500 square metres of buildable space for local wake rooms in the same district. The company will also receive 740,000 euros to compensate for the difference in value between the two sites.
The agreement responds to demands from local people to regain the land where the former barracks stood and use it for services which meet the needs of the neighbourhood. This decision was reached through the Casernes de Sant Andreu participatory process in 2006.
The Zona Franca Consortium (CZF) sold the site to Mémora Serveis Funeraris
The CZF put the site of the former barracks up for auction in April 2018, awarding it to Mémora Serveis Funeraris so they could put wake rooms there. The auction prompted a backlash among local people, who demanded public facilities on the site.
Given the discontent generated among local people, the District Office decided to set up a working group with local organisations, the CZF and Mémora. As a result of the sessions by the group and the demands of local residents, Mémora granted Barcelona City Council the indefinite free use of 75% of their plot. This led to a Special Urban Plan by private initiative, complying with the regulation in force. The final approval for the plan was withdrawn from the Full Council due to a lack of support from municipal groups.
Efforts have continued to be made with the company since then to find and new solution benefitting all parties. The agreement sets out the commitments for the change of hands of assets in urban planning and the work permit for the Potosí area, the goal being to finalise all administrative procedures in the first quarter of 2023.
