The District of L’Eixample has used an expropriation process to acquire the site of the former Teatre Talia, at Avinguda Paral·lel, 100-102, for a price of 5.7 million euros. The plot of 785 square metres will now be publicly owned, responding to a long-standing demand by local residents.
The goal is to help satisfy neighbourhood needs for housing and facilities in this district, the most heavily populated in the city (16.7%) and an above-average population density.
The Barcelona Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation is working with local people on a proposal for homes with services. This will take the form of a seven-floor building, with the ground floor used for cultural facilities and the six other floors for housing for specific groups such as young people and the elderly. The maximum built surface area will be 5,345 square metres.
The option of industrialised construction methods is also being explored as this would reduce the building time and the environmental impact of the project. The construction stage is expected to start during the next term of office.
Meetings are planned with local people during this time to agree on provisional uses for this space, with commitments already made with residents and platforms in the area.
449 flats with social rents under way in L’Eixample
The significant economic activity concentrated in L’Eixample and the district’s compact and highly consolidated historical make-up mean it is difficult to guarantee the availability of local public housing and facilities there.
Even so, since 2015 the district has seen a tenfold increase (from 46 to 449) in the number of municipal public homes offered with affordable social rents. Various properties are also under construction or will be started soon, adding nearly 300 more homes.