L'Hospitalet de Llobregat is moving ahead with plans linked to the future Hospital Clínic, which is expected to open by 2035. The project is already shaping urban and transport planning in the city's north, with the Generalitat and the local council both treating it as a major development for the area.

Pilar Díaz, the Generalitat's delegate in Catalonia, said studies and work for the new hospital are progressing. She said the administrations involved in the new Clínic consortium meet every month, and that the Urban Master Plan, or PDU, is also moving forward. One of the main mobility measures is the extension of Barcelona Metro Line 3, or L3.

Officials are now adapting the existing executive project for the L3 extension so it can fit the future hospital. The changes also need to take account of Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, which sits across Diagonal avenue. The aim is to make the new health campus work with the wider area, not just the hospital site itself.

The council says it wants the project to benefit L'Hospitalet beyond Barcelona. Mayor David Quirós's team is focusing on the 156,000 square metres of land at Can Rigalt, an area close to Diagonal and on the border with Barcelona and Esplugues de Llobregat. The city says the site should support housing, economic activity and public facilities, while also helping to regenerate the northern neighbourhoods.

Ms Díaz said work is under way to define what urban uses fit the area, with a focus on health, teaching and research. Mr Quirós also described the Clínic as a chance to improve planning around Can Rigalt and to push forward regeneration projects in the north of the city. The council says the consortium already has work in progress, and that the Generalitat's next budget will include its financial contribution.

Other projects are also part of the wider plan, including a new primary care centre in Sant Josep and new education facilities. The long-promised undergrounding of railway tracks in L'Hospitalet has also come back into the picture, with the first step aimed at creating the La Torrassa interchange. Mr Quirós said the council hopes the ministry publishes the informative study soon. For readers following local planning and transport, see our community coverage and sport updates for more Barcelona neighbourhood news.

Originally published by El Periódico Barcelona. Read original article.