The Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council has ordered an immediate stop to construction work at a Muslim oratory located in the city’s popular Can Zam park, citing a complete lack of official permission. A municipal decree also mandates that the partially built structure be fully dismantled.
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In an official statement, the council was unequivocal. “The works have no licence or authorisation from the City Council,” it emphasised. The administration confirmed it initiated administrative procedures to halt the project “the moment it became aware” of the situation, following a report from the Santa Coloma Local Police.
The site in question is within the extensive Parc de Can Zam, a major green space on the outskirts of Barcelona known for hosting large-scale events, including the annual Barcelona Rock Fest. Although the council acted swiftly upon discovery, the work was already “de facto paralysed” on 18 February, before the official notice was served to the parties involved.
Council Denies Expansion Rumours
Addressing speculation circulating locally, the Ajuntament de Santa Coloma de Gramenet clarified the nature of the unauthorised construction. Officials described the work as “a pergola for a covering” and forcefully denied it was part of a plan to enlarge the oratory. “This is completely false,” the statement stressed.
The municipal decree goes beyond simply halting the work. It explicitly requires that all actions carried out to date be reversed and the structure be completely taken down. The Muslim community of Can Zam, when contacted by local newspaper El Periódico, declined to make a statement on the matter.
Political Scrutiny Intensifies
Opposition political parties sharply criticised the incident. The local branch of the Partido Popular (PP), led by spokesperson Miguel Jurado, filed a formal complaint with the council detailing various concerns. Among these was an allegation that the works were harming a local cat colony in Can Zam, a claim the City Council has since dismissed.
Separately, the political party VOX has called for an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Spokespersons to address what it termed the “alleged irregular works at the Can Zam mosque,” according to a report by El Catalán. The party is demanding full clarification on the urban planning status of the oratory and the oversight that led to the unlicensed construction.
The establishment of places of worship has, at times, been a sensitive issue in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a densely populated city in the Barcelona metropolitan area. A 2017 academic study, for example, analysed the genesis and resolution of conflicts surrounding an oratory in the city’s Singuerlín neighbourhood, highlighting the complexities involved. As the city navigates its diverse urban landscape, incidents like this underscore the importance of adhering to municipal regulations. This issue is also seen in other local contexts, from major infrastructure works in Barcelona to new rules in the nearby Besòs River Park.
For now, construction at the Can Zam oratory remains frozen, with the council’s order for its removal pending action from the responsible parties.
