Skepticism towards the new plan for the historic center of Lleida

LleidaA total investment of over sixty million euros and a hundred projects spread over the next seven years in the historic center of Lleida. This is the main headline that Mayor Fèlix Larrosa (PSC) announced on October 13th during the presentation of the new comprehensive plan for the neighborhood"The transformation of the historic center will be the largest undertaken by the city in the democratic era," declared Larrosa, citing "the restoration of livability, the increase in green spaces, the enhancement of public spaces and heritage, and the economic and social revitalization of the neighborhood" as the central pillars of this initiative, which aims to incorporate the Generalitat's Pla de Bar (Bar Plan). Despite the announcement, both some neighborhood leaders in the historic center and the main opposition political groups in the Lleida City Council have expressed skepticism. On paper, the new comprehensive plan, to be implemented between now and 2032, appears appealing. With projects to restore facilities such as the former Santa Teresa convent, the Mercat del Pla market, the Roman baths of Cardenal Remolins, and the Cervantes school, the Paeria (Lleida City Council) also plans the construction of 387 homes and up to 400 renovations, in addition to an urban forest of approximately 2,000 square meters. "We want to replace the current stock of aging and uninhabitable housing with new or renovated buildings that are accessible, efficient, and attract new residents, especially young people and families who want to live in a vibrant neighborhood," explains the mayor.

The plan also includes transforming the Plaza del Depósito into the neighborhood's new main square, making the Plaza de Sant Joan more accessible, and burying the Isla de la Maternidad parking garage. "We want a dynamic neighborhood where the streets and squares that we now see as harsh and dark, with little shade in summer and heavy through traffic, become welcoming spaces for community life, with more green spaces and climate shelters, better lighting, and calmer traffic," Larrosa added. In addition to the urban and ecological transformations, the plan also dedicates investments to socio-community initiatives to improve social cohesion. "We want to recover the soul of the historic center, which is its people, and make it a great place to live again," declared Begoña Iglesias, the Councilor for Urban Agenda, during the presentation.

For this reason, the Paeria's plan includes the creation of a team that will work on the ground in mediation and community relations. In this way, it aims to support neighborhood communities, assist vulnerable individuals, and coordinate with social services. The Deputy Mayor for Social Action and Innovation, Carlos Enjuanes, insists that "the true priority of the new project is the people who live in the neighborhood, those who will live here in the coming years, and the rest of the city who want the historic center to be the heart of Lleida." "Rebuilding connections, generating opportunities, and restoring confidence to the heart of the city is essential," Enjuanes adds. In this sense, the community action team "will work on supporting vulnerable groups and preventing social exclusion, promoting community relations, economic and cultural revitalization, mediation, and conflict resolution."

And it is in this last area that one of the main sources of conflict lies. "There's a lot of antisocial behavior here, groups that live their lives in the streets," says Cristina Armengol, president of the Historic Center Residents' Association. "They've been degrading the neighborhood for a long time now, buying cheap and speculating," the residents' spokesperson denounces. "Degrading is easy, we've hit rock bottom, but it's gotten out of hand and now they're bombarding us with plans and blueprints without any possibility of recovery," adds Armengol, who says this is the fourth municipal plan announced in the last thirty years. "I hope this is the last and final one, but I'm skeptical," she admits.

For his part, Òscar Lanza, spokesperson for the Som Veïns platform, counters that social services have become so concentrated in the historic center that they have turned it "into a rug to hide the city's problems." Lanza laments that the repeated demands to decentralize these services to other areas have been ignored, leading to a large concentration of vulnerable people in the historic center. Lanza adds that "we are tired of the local administration announcing grandiose projects without guaranteed funding, which then end up being forgotten."

The leader of the municipal opposition, Xavier Palau (PP), expresses a similar sentiment, using the term "ethnification" to describe the process by which the neighborhood has become filled with immigrants. "The plan doesn't address that, because they want to hide the true nature of the problem," argues Palau, who asserts that the neighborhood's long-time residents have left to make way for newcomers "who have taken it over." The Popular Party leader calls for better use of existing buildings and a revitalization of commerce "with people who actually live here." Aligned with neighborhood leader Cristina Armengol, Palau laments that this is just another plan added to a long list. "Those who are part of the problem can't be part of the solution," Palau asserts. "Lleida's historic center has suffered degradation due to more than 40 years of socialist policies." Without explicitly addressing the immigration phenomenon, the ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia) municipal group expresses similar sentiments. "This isn't a plan, it's just a PowerPoint presentation," laments Republican councilor Juanjo Falcó. "Larrosa's government is characterized by churning out plans like hotcakes," Falcó declares. "If we analyze his actions, only a minority can truly have an impact on transforming the historic center," the Republican councilor concludes.

Even Violant Cervera, spokesperson for Junts, the group supporting the municipal government's actions this term, accuses the Socialists of being "too accustomed to neighborhood plans that end up being urban transformations" and, therefore, demands more profound actions in the socio-community sphere. "It is precisely in this area that the Paeria's plan falls short," she asserts. Cervera calls for a plan of uses for the old buildings in the historic center and affirms that "the neighborhood must be residential, or it won't exist." However, the Junts spokesperson acknowledges the Socialists' courage in having developed a comprehensive plan. "If you don't look far ahead, it's very difficult to plan later; if you don't say where you want to go, you end up just patching things up," Cervera concludes.

Funding in doubt

The big question for the Republicans (and also for the members of the Provincial Council) is where the money to fund this plan will come from. Its proponents argue that it will be jointly financed by the Lleida City Council and any grants obtained from other administrations, in addition to private sector participation. The City Council submitted a significant portion of the project to the Catalan Government's Neighborhood Plan program, with a budget of 25 million euros to finance the initial phase of the plan's development. But this doesn't convince the opposition. The ERC group points out that, if in the best-case scenario the Neighborhood Plan only finances half of the 25 million euros requested, "where will the remaining 60 million come from?" Mayor Larrosa replies: "It will be a living and dynamic instrument that will adapt to emerging opportunities and funding sources, and will also include regulatory and urban planning modifications."

Participatory process

The comprehensive plan for the historic center is the result of more than a year of consultations and a citizen participation process, according to the governing team. They claim that during 2024, various working groups, workshops, and activities were organized, involving 229 people representing more than 40 organizations, and generating 122 proposals. "The participation process has been excessively guided," accuses Cristina Armengol. "It's been a trap," states Òscar Lanza. "The same people always participate in these processes, while the Urban Planning Commission hasn't discussed anything until the last few weeks," allege opposition voices. Violant Cervera asserts that the plan is an opportunity, "but it's being launched without political consensus," and warns that "without an interdepartmental strategy and genuine involvement from residents and all municipal groups, it could end up being just a public relations exercise."

Republican Juanjo Falcó, who participates in the Urban Planning Commission, regrets that the Socialist governing team did not reach a consensus with the other groups. "If they are going to make a city proposal for the next seven years, it should have been agreed upon," says the ERC councilor.

In any case, a technical office will now open on Cavallers Street, with a team of professionals from different backgrounds who will be responsible for coordinating the tasks, together with the Jornet Llop Pastor architecture firm. Time will tell if the plan will ultimately materialize.