Lleida’s city council says it played a decisive role in getting the new bus station built and in shaping the urban plan around it. Deputy Mayor Begoña Iglesias, who is also Councillor for Urban Agenda and Agrarian Space, said the project has always been essential for the city.
Iglesias made the comments after remarks by former Territory Minister and current ERC spokesperson in the Catalan Parliament, Ester Capella. She said the debate was never about whether Lleida needed a new bus station, but about how to integrate it into the city and make it support neighbourhood links.
“We have always said that the new bus station was essential,” Iglesias said. “Our concern has always been to ensure that this infrastructure did not become a barrier between neighbourhoods, but rather an opportunity to connect the city and generate new development opportunities.”
When the current municipal government took office, the project faced problems because the land was not publicly owned. The Paeria says it then started the necessary procedures and worked with the parties involved to unblock the scheme. It also introduced traffic light regulation in the area to help keep traffic moving at one of Lleida’s main entry and exit points.
The council says one of its main conditions was to keep urban permeability between the city centre and Pardinyes. Iglesias said the aim was for the station to connect neighbourhoods, not create a new barrier, and to support future development in the area. For more on local civic coverage, see our news tag page.
Iglesias also praised the institutional collaboration behind the project and said the new station is now a modern intermodal hub that improves public transport use and daily mobility. She added that the next challenge is the future Station District, a strategic urban plan meant to better connect the Historic Centre, Pardinyes, Balàfia, the northern neighbourhoods and Noguerola. For background on the wider transport context, see the Catalan Government’s Territory Department and the Paeria website.
The Paeria says it will keep working with other administrations on strategic projects for Lleida, with the aim of improving quality of life and supporting a more cohesive and accessible city.