For months, Carrer Estrelles in the La Mina neighbourhood has become a symbol of urban neglect. A street plagued by a rat infestation, littered with used syringes, and scarred by broken pavements has left residents and municipal workers in a state of growing alarm. The situation highlights the daily struggle in one of Sant Adrià de Besòs’s most complex areas, caught between profound social challenges and ambitious, but delayed, promises of transformation.

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Located on the northern edge of Barcelona, La Mina has long been the focus of one of Catalonia’s most significant urban regeneration efforts. The Consorci del barri de la Mina, a body formed by multiple public administrations, has overseen decades of projects aimed at improving living conditions. A new phase of this plan, announced last year, promises an investment of over 100 million euros to demolish the notorious Venus building by 2028 and build new housing and facilities. Yet, for those living on Carrer Estrelles, these grand plans feel a world away.

A Daily Hazard

The street’s problems are visceral and immediate. For over a year, a section of the pavement has been buckled and broken by the roots of a long-felled tree. This structural decay has now spiralled into a full-blown public health crisis. Residents have formally submitted complaints to the Sant Adrià de Besòs council, expressing their “growing concern” over the constant accumulation of rubbish and organic waste.

But the reality on the ground, as reported by Metrópoli, is even grimmer. Municipal cleaning crews have warned that their work has become perilous. The “massive presence of used syringes” turns every shift into a health risk, transforming a public service into a daily gamble.

The broken pavement has also become a breeding ground for pests. According to formal complaints, the cavities beneath the uprooted paving slabs are now home to a rampant rat population. Such infestations are a recurring concern in the metropolitan area. Similar pest problems recently affected a school near an abandoned warehouse in neighbouring Badalona.

Council Acknowledges Delays and Social Issues

Local councillor Andrés Pozo acknowledges the severity of the situation. He admitted that the street’s current state of disuse has made it a magnet for drug users. “Many consumers use that space precisely because citizens do not currently use it,” he stated.

Pozo confirmed that the council’s Social Services, in coordination with harm reduction programmes like REDAN, are working to manage the situation and offer support to these individuals. He says the message is that the area is destined for family use and will be transformed.

That transformation centres on a large vacant plot opposite the street, currently occupied by a camp of homeless people and drug users, which residents say has heightened the sense of abandonment. The original plan for this 7,000-square-metre plot was a multi-use space with urban gardens and green areas. However, the project’s scope has since expanded dramatically into an almost eight-hectare “integral intervention” that will include gardens, play areas, and a new home for the ‘Capsa dels Jocs’ community project.

Pozo explained that this expansion is the reason for delays beyond the initial forecast of the first half of 2026. “This ambitious change means that the planning time and the duration of the works will be longer,” he justified, while maintaining a commitment to open it to the public this year-a timeline that appears to conflict with the project’s expanded scale.

Residents’ Frustration

For residents, these explanations offer little comfort. With no visible progress, frustration is mounting. Their demand is simple: an information board on the street, clearly stating the project’s plans and timelines. They question why the area is left to deteriorate while ambitious plans remain on paper.

The councillor also attributes part of the filth to “uncontrolled incivility,” citing residents who throw rubbish from their windows, providing a food source for the rats. On the rat infestation, he recognised its gravity but noted a post-pandemic shift in the animals’ behaviour. “They used to be afraid of humans, now they act like moles and are not easily frightened,” he said, adding that the administration faces legal limits on the types of poison it can use. This echoes wider public health challenges across the municipality, where authorities have also had to respond to incidents like a recent spate of suspected dog poisonings.

While Pozo assured that clearing and cleaning work has begun to intensify treatments, he appealed for patience. “I understand they are angry, but if we work together for the common good, we will manage to transform this place,” he urged.

For now, Carrer Estrelles remains a stark ‘blind spot’ in La Mina’s regeneration. The promises of it becoming a welcoming “gateway to the neighbourhood” are yet to materialise, leaving those who live there waiting for a future that feels perpetually just out of reach.