Gavà and Viladecans are set for a major change after the Metropolitan Area’s Territorial Urban Planning Commission approved Roca City, a new eco-neighbourhood on the former Roca factory site in Baix Llobregat.
The plan covers nearly 3,000 homes, with 40% set aside for public protection, and 330,992 m² for economic activity. Construction is expected to start in 2028, once the land redistribution and urbanisation plans are completed by the public administrations and the company.
Roca Group is leading the project with both municipal councils. The company says the aim is to reuse underused land and turn a closed industrial area into an integrated urban space. The development will keep Roca’s presence and headquarters in the area, in new buildings covering about 146,000 m².
The Catalan Minister for Territory, Sívia Paneque, said the project reflects the kind of urban planning wanted for Catalonia’s cities. She said it moves away from expanding into new land and instead focuses on adapting what already exists, while supporting quality of life and jobs. Damià Calvet, vice president of the AMB’s Urban Planning Policy Area, described the scale of the operation as “colossal”.
Housing is a central part of the plan. Of the 2,730 homes planned, 1,260 will be publicly protected, and half of those will be for rent. The economic area will also include tertiary uses and commercial premises on the ground floors of new residential buildings, with the aim of creating more local employment.
The design includes a 7.36-hectare park, the recovery of the area’s natural stream course, and a bridge over the railway tracks to connect the industrial zone with the new neighbourhood. Two industrial buildings will also be reused as public facilities, including the former Roca offices in Gavà and the old radiator factory in Viladecans. For more local coverage, see news.
Gavà mayor Gemma Badia and Viladecans mayor Olga Morales both welcomed the project. They said it will open the site to the public, improve cohesion and mobility, and help address the housing shortage while keeping the area’s economic role.