Barcelona’s Fòrum marine platform, a 12.7-hectare site larger than Glòries Park, will be renovated from 2027, with the city council saying it will mainly be for public use. The only large festival allowed on the site will be Primavera Sound, a move aimed at easing concerns from residents in Sant Martí.
The €52 million project will turn the currently undeveloped platform into a public space with promenades, tree-lined areas and a central open area for activities. Mayor Jaume Collboni’s government said the platform will keep a primarily citizen use for most of the year, and officials expect it to be open for neighbourhood and city activities for nearly 11 months.
Councillor for Sant Martí, David Escudé, said there are no plans for more music festivals on the site. He said the platform can only move from one festival to zero, because there is only one five-day event each year. The council also said the preliminary design is still being developed and that a participatory process will gather proposals for the final uses of the area.
Neighbourhood groups from Maresme, Poblenou, Front Marítim, Movimiento Diagonal Mar and SOS Besòs/Maresme have raised concerns about the plan. The Federation of Neighbourhood Associations of Barcelona (FAVB) and Xarxa Veïnal Contra el Soroll (XAVECS) also questioned whether the space could end up being used for large events rather than as a park.
Residents want more green space and less concrete, with some calling for a park as large as Ciutadella Park. José Manuel López, president of the Maresme Neighbourhood Association, said the neighbourhood wants to use the space. David Jiménez, also from Maresme, said the competition terms point to a central area for large-format activities, which he считает incompatible with a park.
The city architecture team said the renovation is meant to create a less harsh central plaza, with public spaces around it covering more than half of the esplanade. Part of the platform is also set aside for relocating the Agapito Fernández football pitch. Construction of the seafront promenade between Bac de Roda street and the platform is already under way, and officials expect it to be finished by the end of the year.
The council also plans to extend Rambla Prim to the platform, something councillor Escudé said matches neighbourhood requests. He said residents will make the space their own and that it must not be exclusive. For more Barcelona local news, see our Community and Sport pages.
