The Catalan government's Territorial Urban Planning Commission of Camp de Tarragona definitively approved urban planning changes in Salou on 22 April 2026. This decision allows for the creation of a Civic Axis on land freed up from the old railway line.
The re-urbanisation of this 2 km stretch will establish a new central area in the municipality. It will feature a green promenade, new road connections, and open spaces integrated with the existing urban fabric. The project also includes 144 new homes, 117 of which will be protected housing, a planned underground car park, and the integration of the Camp de Tarragona Tram. The Department of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition will fund the urbanisation works for the Civic Axis, with a maximum cost of €15 million.
Salou City Council is driving the planning modification, aiming to reclaim the former railway land for the city. The proposal reorganises the entire area to increase public open space and facilities, build public housing, and improve connectivity with the urban environment, focusing on sustainable mobility.
Pere Granados, the Mayor of Salou, highlighted how the project "transforms an old barrier into a large green civic axis that will stitch the municipality together and create a new centrality designed for people." He added that the municipal government "is committed to quality of life, sustainable mobility, and, above all, accessible housing, with a majority of protected homes." Granados concluded that the Civic Axis "is a strategic action that reinforces the city model we want: more cohesive, greener, and with more opportunities for everyone."
A 2-kilometre Green Promenade
The project area mainly covers the land currently occupied by the railway line, which runs east-west, parallel to the coast, through Salou's urban centre. It spans approximately 2 kilometres, bordering the municipality of Cambrils to the south and the C-14 motorway to the north. To the east, it meets Salou's seafront urban area, and to the west, the urban developments from recent decades. The entire area covers 4.96 hectares and is set to become a new central point in the municipality.
Between Torre Vella and Santa Maria del Mar church, where the old station was located, a central square is planned. This will include an underground car park for about 500 vehicles and new facilities. To the west, extending to Plaça de la Província, the available space will allow for new residential buildings, creating an urban facade that will extend the shops and services of the centre. Further east, past the market, the promenade will become part of an already established green environment.
The reorganisation of the area prioritises sustainable mobility and incorporates the route of the Camp de Tarragona tram, although the tram itself falls outside the immediate project scope. The new Civic Axis aims to calm the entire road system, except for vertical connecting streets, which will link both sides of the new promenade.
Focus on Protected Housing
The proposal's goal is to turn the old railway land into a true avenue by creating a new front of housing and economic activity that faces the new civic axis. This will ensure urban and architectural quality, with diverse building types.
The plan includes a front of bar-shaped buildings with a height of five floors on the sea-facing side, complemented by buildings of up to seven floors on the promenade side. In total, a maximum of 144 homes will be built, with 117 designated as protected housing.
Open spaces will occupy over 90% of the area. These have been designed to form an interconnected network of urban green zones, including the Civic Axis promenade and perpendicular streets. These green areas will also include leisure and recreation spaces for residents, collectively forming climate refuges. Finally, several socio-cultural and educational facilities are planned between Torre Vella, the Municipal Library, and Santa Maria del Mar church.
The Camp de Tarragona Tram Opportunity
In December 2024, the Territorial Urban Planning Commission definitively approved the planning for the first phase of the Camp de Tarragona tram in Salou, Vila-seca, Cambrils, and Vinyols i els Arcs. This project was promoted by the Directorate General of Mobility Infrastructures.
The new tram route is approximately 16.4 km long. The section between the old Cambrils station and Salou-PortAventura station runs along the platform of the existing disused railway line.
Following this, in January 2025, the Catalan government and Salou City Council signed a collaboration agreement regarding the urban integration of the Camp de Tarragona tram in Salou. The agreement included the Department's commitment to finance the urbanisation works for the Civic Axis with a maximum of €15 million.
