Barcelona City Council will restart the project for the new Companion Animal Welcome Centre of Barcelona, in Montcada i Reixac, after court challenges were dismissed. The planned opening date is 2030.
First Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet said the council was pleased to reactivate the project. The High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) backed the city council and dismissed an appeal against the final approval of the Special Urban Plan for the centre, and the Supreme Court later rejected a further appeal.
Bonet said the rulings confirmed that the project had been carried out in line with the law, and she regretted the time lost. She added that the work should now restart as soon as possible.
The centre comes from an urban agreement signed in 2014 between Barcelona and Montcada i Reixac city councils. It will replace the current facility, built in 1972 on the Arrabassada road, and will serve residents of both municipalities.
The new site will be built on a closed plot of about 2.6 hectares within a property near the Collserola cemetery, in Montcada i Reixac. It will have space for 350 dogs and around 150 cats.
Barcelona's municipal government plans to update, audit and re-approve the project in a plenary session, then retender the works and related contracts within about a year. Construction is expected to take another two years, followed by a six-month implementation period. More Catalonia news
