Sant Adrià de Besòs is transforming its urban landscape with a series of major projects.
The city of 39,000 inhabitants, adjacent to Barcelona, is embarking on what its mayor, Filo Cañete, calls the culmination of its transformation.
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This follows earlier developments like the coastal recovery for the Olympics and the construction of the university campus around the Fòrum.
Sant Adrià de Besòs Aims to Become Besòs Capital
The municipality now sets its sights on becoming the capital of the Besòs area. Key to this ambition is the future arrival of Inditex offices and the audiovisual complex planned for the new Three Chimneys district. Furthermore, these headline projects are part of a broader package involving over €100 million in investment, including significant work in the La Mina neighbourhood.
Mayor Cañete presented these plans to residents in a public audience this Thursday. She argued that Sant Adrià is now gaining centrality in the metropolitan area. “We want the Besòs territory to have enormous potential in the metropolitan area and to become the capital of the Besòs,” she stated. “We have the conditions for it to be so.”
The local authority is also optimistic about the potential closure and relocation of the Tersa waste incinerator. This long-standing aspiration would remove a major industrial facility from the municipality. Consequently, this would free up valuable space along the city’s developing coastal facade.
Inditex and Media City Anchor Economic Revival
Special emphasis was placed on the arrival of Inditex and the transformation of the Three Chimneys area into the ‘Catalunya Media City’ audiovisual hub. Construction on both projects is slated to begin around 2027. The textile giant has swapped land with Alcampo in Sant Adrià to allow four of its subsidiaries to build their central offices.
Meanwhile, the supermarket chain will construct a smaller store without a shopping gallery. The town hall sees enormous public interest in this operation. It will remodel one of the town’s main thoroughfares, Avinguda de la Platja, and sections of three adjacent streets. The project is also expected to generate jobs, economic activity, and tax revenue that will benefit the city.
Regarding the Three Chimneys, Mayor Cañete echoed the ambitious purpose stated by the Generalitat. “It will be a reference not only in Catalonia and Spain, but also at a European level,” she assured. “It is one of the actions that, in the coming years, will put us in an international spotlight.” The council is also in talks with the Spanish government to decontaminate the coastal strip adjacent to the old thermal power plant.
Housing and Connectivity Complete the Vision
Other plans include unblocking the construction of approximately 140 homes, with the goal that at least half are public and officially protected. An auditorium is also planned for the old cardboard factory on the border with Santa Coloma de Gramenet. The intention is to build housing and attract new activity to Via Trajana to create an “important economic pole.”
Projects on the borders with Santa Coloma and Badalona were also mentioned. These include creating a “great urban innovation laboratory” at the Can Rigal farmhouse. The potential joint application with Badalona for the Generalitat’s Neighbourhood Plan was also discussed. Additionally, European funds will help “dignify” the area under the C-31 motorway between Sant Adrià and Badalona.
The European Union will also partially fund the renaturalisation of the Besòs river mouth. Mayor Cañete stated that Endesa’s combined cycle plant in the area need not affect the recovery of the final stretch. “It is desirable that it is not there, but it is not incompatible,” she said, noting the utility company plans to close its facilities by 2040.
Green corridors and pacified streets are being designed to connect Sant Adrià’s neighbourhoods. The goal is to make them pleasant for walking and to shorten travel distances, in line with the “15-minute city” principle. The transformation of Sant Adrià de Besòs represents a significant shift for a town whose history has often been overshadowed by its proximity to the Catalan capital. As these projects advance, the municipality is firmly staking its claim as a new centre of gravity in the metropolitan area.
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