Agreement to accelerate the rehabilitation of apartments with aluminosis in Besòs and Maresme

New impetus for the rehabilitation of buildings with aluminosis in the Besòs i el Maresme district. The government of Jaume Collboni, together with the ERC party, presented an agreement this Monday to allocate an additional 15 million euros this year to the regeneration of this Barcelona neighborhood, which has been struggling for years with substandard housing. critical situationWith this money, both groups also aim to triple the number of homes undergoing rehabilitation during this same term. While the municipal government had previously set a goal of rehabilitating 204 apartments in 10 stairwells during this term, the current target is to have work begun on up to 720 homes by next year. The plan is to finalize the detailed plans for 10 entire buildings this year, not just for the ten stairwells initially planned. Furthermore, the agreement includes the creation of a local office within the neighborhood to assist affected residents. Among the new features of the agreement are the creation of a technical team that will conduct semi-annual monitoring of the rehabilitation; the tendering of a contract to inspect a thousand homes in the neighborhood; and the use of higher-quality materials for the necessary precautionary measures in some of the apartments in the most precarious condition. The other major aspect of the agreement lies in the provision of housing to temporarily rehouse, when necessary, residents of Besòs and Maresme who cannot remain in their apartments while they are being renovated. The agreement stipulates that during this academic year, the number of available homes will increase from the current 27 to a total of 57. In this regard, ERC and PSC have also agreed that the Barcelona Municipal Institute of Housing and Rehabilitation (IMHAB) will put out to tender this year the drafting of the detailed plans for two nine-unit apartment blocks. The involvement of the Generalitat (Catalan government)

The municipal government has celebrated an agreement that, according to the First Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning, Laia Bonet, will allow them to "accelerate" the rehabilitation of the neighborhood. According to the councilor for Sant Martí, David Escudé, it represents "moving from words to action." From the ranks of ERC, the deputy spokesperson, Jordi Coronas, emphasized that the pact is not "wishful thinking or actions dependent on other administrations," but rather a significant step forward in improving the Besòs area this year. This Monday's announcement formalizes the agreement reached between the Republicans and Socialists during budget negotiations, and comes after another budget agreement signed, in this case, between the PSC and Barcelona en Comú. to involve the Generalitat in the rehabilitation. As the municipal government and the local council explained at the time, a specific public entity will be created with the participation of the City Council and the Generalitat (Catalan government) to expedite the work and allocate 400 million euros over the next twelve years to rehabilitate some 4,000 dilapidated apartments in the area.

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