The Generalitat is exploring plans to increase the number of social housing units in the future Tres Xemeneies neighbourhood, located on the border of Sant Adrià de Besòs and Badalona. This initiative involves potentially reducing the average size of individual flats without expanding the total surface area designated for social housing, according to officials.
The ambitious project, approved by the Generalitat in 2023, aims to transform the dismantled Tres Xemeneies thermal power plant into an audiovisual industry complex, accompanied by the construction of an entirely new neighbourhood. The current plan outlines 1,783 new homes, comprising 1,069 private and 714 officially protected units, on the last undeveloped coastal strip near Barcelona. However, both the Generalitat and local neighbourhood groups have expressed a willingness to find ways to increase the provision of social housing within the urbanisation area.
This review aligns with Generalitat President Salvador Illa's commitment to "densify" cities to "build as much housing as possible". The Besòs Consortium, responsible for executing the reform around the former power plant, is studying how to apply this principle to Tres Xemeneies, where construction of the first residential blocks is expected to begin in 2027, with completion aimed for the mid-2030s.
Exploring Increased Social Housing Density
Badalona and Sant Adrià councils confirm that evaluations are underway to increase the number of officially protected flats without altering the 74,121 square metres of floor space currently reserved for them. This allocation represents 40% of the total 185,302 square metres of new housing projected across the 32.3-hectare site, with the remaining 60% designated for private construction. The project's developers do not intend to change these percentages or the overall land area allocated to each housing type. Altering these aspects would necessitate reopening the Tres Xemeneies Urban Master Plan (PDU) for renewed discussion and approval, a process that "would take a long time", according to sources familiar with the situation.
The proposal to boost social housing density in the Tres Xemeneies area is part of an agreement presented earlier this month by Territori Minister Sílvia Paneque. The agreement was signed by the Lower Besòs Neighbourhood Coordinator (CVBB), which includes neighbourhood federations from Barcelona, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Sant Adrià, and Montcada i Reixac, as well as the Besòs Consortium. The Consortium comprises the Generalitat, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, and the five city councils.
Adjusting Flat Sizes to Meet Demand
To achieve the objective of more social housing without changing the PDU, officials are considering applying a provision of the urban planning law that would allow for a reduction in the average flat size without amending the overall plan. The 2023 PDU currently stipulates that each public initiative home should have a usable area of 75 to 78 square metres and an average built area of 104 square metres. By making these measurements more flexible, more social housing units could be accommodated within the same allocated building space. While no specific figure has been finalised, sources indicate that the chosen approach must diversify the range of affordable homes, increasing options for single people, couples without children, and families.
When the project was initially approved three years ago, the standard size for both social and market-rate housing next to the plant's remnants was set to be identical. This decision followed opposition from Badalona City Council to an earlier Generalitat proposal to reduce social housing units to an average of 63 to 65 square metres. That previous plan aimed for 1,959 homes between the Besòs river and the La Mora neighbourhood, with 1,106 market-rate and 853 reduced-cost units, but it was ultimately discarded. Sant Adrià City Council also resisted at the time, advocating for reduced building density to lower the total number of flats.
Shifting Political Stance and Community Support
Badalona's current mayor, Xavier García Albiol, who was in opposition in 2022, had previously declared himself against "masifying" Tres Xemeneies. However, the political climate regarding housing has shifted, with surveys highlighting growing concern over the lack of affordable homes. Albiol recently expressed agreement with President Illa's densification proposal at EL PERIÓDICO's 1st Municipal Forum. Daniel Gracia, Badalona's Urban Planning Councillor, echoed this sentiment regarding the Tres Xemeneies densification, stating, "We respect and positively value the possible increase in population in the area, but we must study the proposal in detail."
Gracia's reservations relate to potential "conditions" that an increased population in the new neighbourhood could bring, such as impacts on the PDU's mobility plan. Nevertheless, he welcomed the flexibility in future flat sizes as a means to "meet the needs of the different types of family units present in today's society". José A. Gras, Sant Adrià's Deputy Mayor for Sustainable Territory, also supports increasing social housing in the area, noting, "The housing crisis is much more evident and intensified than years ago."
Gras maintains that densification "will not be to the detriment of having habitable homes" nor will it significantly increase the future neighbourhood's estimated population of 4,500 to 5,000 people. He clarified, "It is not a question of making micro-flats, but of being efficient with space to have different types of homes for different tenants or buyers. We are talking about offering more housing opportunities for different typologies, not increasing the number of inhabitants." This argument is shared by the neighbourhood movement. Pepe Sánchez, President of the CVBB, stated, "The objective is to offer a better range to residents and to have more social housing to cater to more types of families, such as single-parent families." He added that more flats would align with the Vesta project, which assists single mothers with dependent children facing severe residential exclusion in the Besòs area. The next steps will involve detailed studies by the Besòs Consortium to determine the exact number and configuration of additional social housing units, aiming to address Catalonia's pressing need for affordable accommodation.
