El Vendrell has completed the first phase of its RENAT3R project, with work focused on the La Bisbal stream, the Lluc and Cullerer torrents, and La Riera de la Bisbal avenue, between Pont Nou and Pont de França.
The council says the aim is to create a riverside promenade and bring this part of the town back into daily use. The area had been degraded and largely inactive, mainly serving as a transit space. Work began in June 2025 and has now turned these river spaces into more natural, accessible areas.
The project also aims to reduce flood risk. According to El Vendrell Council, the works improve the hydraulic capacity of the stream and torrents, which should help during periods of intense rainfall.
Ecological work has included restoring riverside vegetation, planting hackberry, holm oak and olive trees, and shrubs such as lavender and thyme. The scheme has also improved the riverbed and removed invasive species, with the goal of increasing biodiversity and improving the ecological quality of the streams.
RENAT3R has received a €1.2 million grant from the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, backed by the European Union's NextGenerationEU programme. The project is part of a wider effort to make El Vendrell greener and more sustainable.
Mayor Kenneth Martínez said the council has recovered a degraded and abandoned space and integrated it into the city centre. He said the Rieres project marks a turning point in El Vendrell's urban transformation, replacing a grey city with more green and natural areas that improve residents' health and quality of life. More local news