Housing plan targets 3,000 new flats
Xavi Puig, Esquerra Republicana’s (ERC) candidate for mayor of Tarragona, has presented his political platform focusing on affordable housing, urban cleanliness and public safety. Speaking at an event on Rambla Nova on Thursday, Puig announced plans to mobilise 3,000 new homes in the city, half of which would be designated as affordable. The initiative includes a proposed municipal investment of €20 million and aims to develop areas including Pou Boronat and former Nàstic football club grounds.
Push for cleaner streets and local patrols
On cleanliness, Puig criticised the current administration’s progress and called for tighter oversight of the city’s new waste collection contract. He stressed the need for more effective monitoring to ensure service improvements across neighbourhoods. For public safety, he advocated for a community-based policing model, with more officers patrolling residential areas on foot to strengthen ties between residents and the local police force.
Cultural vision for Banc d’Espanya
Puig also reaffirmed ERC’s position against converting the historic Banc d’Espanya building into a Parador hotel. Instead, he supports transforming it into a civic and cultural hub, including relocating Tarragona’s Casa de la Festa there. Under this proposal, the centre would house a library, multipurpose rooms, a café, a play area for children and exhibition spaces for local associations. The plan was formally submitted as a motion by ERC and En Comú Podem during a municipal plenary session in September.
Tarragona needs a Casa de la Festa better, more big and at the height of our popular culture.
, Xavi Puig, ERC mayoral candidate He argued that the building’s symbolic value and central location on Rambla Nova demand a publicly accessible, community-driven use rather than a national tourism project.
Call for inclusive decision-making
ERC has challenged Mayor Rubén Viñuales for launching the Parador proposal without prior debate among city councillors or public consultation. The party insists the future of the building should be determined through cross-party consensus and citizen input. The full council is set to vote on 16 October whether to support the national government’s plan to reassign the property for a Parador hotel, which would require legal transfer to the Ministry of Industry and Tourism. Meanwhile, independent councillors and Junts per Catalunya remain undecided, stating they await full technical and legal documentation before voting. Residents can follow developments via the official city proceedings.
Reported by radiociutat.com, diarimes.com, Team BDT, Tarragona Ràdio, diaridetarragona.com, DiariTots21, Tarragona Digital, Tarragona21, Ràdio Ciutat de Tarragona.
