Barcelona City Council has reached an agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Finance for the free transfer of 62.8 hectares of coastal land in the city. The deal gives Barcelona control of 5.2 kilometres of seafront, from Pepe Rubianes street in Barceloneta to the municipal boundary with Sant Adrià de Besòs.
The agreement was announced by Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni and Spanish finance minister Arcadi España. It changes the 2009 maritime-terrestrial zone demarcation and is intended to support future municipal investment along the coast. The city says it plans to invest more than €100 million in seafront changes in the coming years.
Collboni said the agreement should allow Barcelona to recover full control and ownership of more than 60 hectares. He said current work focuses on climate adaptation, beach maintenance and new green spaces, and thanked the ministry for agreeing after 20 years of negotiations and demands.
España described the deal as good for Barcelona and said it would let the local administration act directly in the area. He said progress comes through cooperation between administrations, and pointed to work between the Spanish government, the Ministry of Finance and the city council.
The 62.8 hectares include about 354,000 square metres of parks and green areas, 206,500 square metres of roads and around 68,200 square metres of public facilities. The council says the land will not be used for profit-making activities. It also says the transfer removes uncertainty over ownership, which has often made maintenance and conservation harder.
The agreement does not include commercially used spaces such as the shopping centre, nightlife venues or the offices of the State Meteorological Agency, AEMET. Properties already auctioned by the state, including a hotel, a petrol station and a restaurant, are also excluded. Barcelona City Council and the Ministry of Finance will continue talks on other state-owned properties between Plaça del Mar and the rest of the coastline. More Barcelona and Catalonia news
