Barcelona City Council has been warned that the relocation of the Estrella market to the middle of a park could be irregular.

BarcelonaAs the start of the works to temporarily relocate the Star Market In the middle of the Baix Guinardó Gardens, pressure from residents on the City Council is increasing to stop it. While waiting for the Salvem el Parc platform to confirm in a few days whether it will file an administrative complaint against the council, according to ARA, three weeks ago another citizen complaint arrived in the City Council's ethics mailbox warning of possible irregularities in the contracting process for the construction of the temporary market over the park. Specifically, in the project's environmental report. However, the City Council maintains that everything has been done correctly.

The operation planned by the City Council involves building the marquee that will house the temporary market over the lake overlooking the park. To do so, the sheet of water will have to be dismantled and filled with compacted soil. Once the market's base has been built—a type of slab similar to the one used to house the temporary market on Ronda Sant Antoni—the marquee structure will be assembled, with four access points with ramps. The council's plan is for the new market to be operational by the end of the year, and the cost of the move will be around 7 million euros.

The plan, however, doesn't convince everyone. The reason for the complaint that has reached the ethics mailbox is that the environmental report that accompanies the basic and executive project for the works doesn't meet the requirements of the Basic manual for the preparation of environmental reports, a mayoral decree from the City Council itself that regulates this type of report. The manual establishes, for example, that "at least" the environmental report must "consider" aspects such as fauna and flora, landscape, soil and subsoil, population, waste, hydrology, and the atmosphere, among others. It also emphasizes that the report must include corrective measures to minimize the impact on these vectors or justify why the work will not impact them.

Reading the annex to the basic project for the relocation of the Estrella market, entitled Environmental Report, one can see that it tiptoes around "the repercussions on the environment" and simply states that "it will not affect, in any way, the environmental zone." However, it does not refer to several of the aspects provided for in the Basic manual for the preparation of environmental reports, such as fauna and flora. The only reference to fauna throughout the project appears, in fact, outside the environmental report and refers only to the existence of a black swift nest. However, the rest of the ship's fauna has fourteen.

When consulted by ARA, public procurement experts point out that the complaint is well-founded and that an environmental report that does not meet the requirements established in the Barcelona City Council manual may not be considered valid. Among other aspects, compliance with the law for each area, including environmental matters.

Start of works "soon"

Beyond defending that the procedure has been reviewed by different departments of the City Council, which have approved the project, municipal sources emphasize that "the specifics of the project must be taken into account," highlighting that in this case, it is a facility that will be provisional and that there is a commitment to return the space. "For all these reasons, and with all the favorable reports and having followed the entire pertinent administrative procedure, the City Council expects the work to begin soon," they conclude. In fact, just a few days ago, the City Council announced the award of the contract, which could begin shortly.

The City Council has been seeking a solution for the Estrella market since 2022. The building that currently houses it dates back to 1957 and has "structural deficiencies." In fact, the council states that a "comprehensive renovation" is necessary despite not posing "an immediate risk." The work, which will begin once the relocation is complete, will involve demolishing the current building and constructing a new space with a ground floor and three upper floors, as well as two underground floors.