Shock plan to transform the Font de la Pólvora neighborhood in ten years

GironaExactly a year ago, the San Juan festival in the Font de la Pólvora neighborhood of Girona ended tragically: A fight between two neighbors led to a shootout that left two people dead and several injured. The events triggered clashes between clans, reprisals, and destruction in the neighborhood, generating a wave of tension that lasted for weeks. The seriousness of the situation forced the convening of a Local Security Board, which, beyond implementing containment measures to calm the conflict, opened the door to the development of a comprehensive plan for the entire Girona East sector. A year later, Girona City Council has officially announced its implementation.

This is a plan with a ten-year horizon, between 2025 and 2035, which aims to improve living conditions in one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in Catalonia. Beyond an increase in police presence, the project seeks to strengthen neighborhood coexistence through a transversal and coordinated strategy between administrations, organizations, and residents. Furthermore, while incidents of the severity of the one in Sant Joan have not been repeated, in recent months there have been new episodes of conflict in the neighborhood, such as those at the end of March, when, after a failed job search, a group of young people vandalized several public facilities.

The mayor of Girona, Lluc Salellas, presented the main lines of the Girona East plan this Monday. One of the key aspects of the proposal lies in housing. In this regard, it calls for the rehabilitation of buildings in poor condition so that "the people who live there have the right to live well." "We want [the plan] to be a tool to improve the conditions of the neighborhoods, with measures that guarantee normal daily life for the neighborhood and with actions that connect the area with the rest of the city," he asserted. The mayor also highlighted the "discreet work" being done with residents facing eviction so they can remain in their homes.

Improving mobility is another concern addressed in the plan. In this sense, the addition of a bike lane and more public transport connections are aspects included in the plan and should serve as a formula for incentivizing progress in Font de la Pólvora. "We were clear that there should be not only police intervention, which there must be, but also a comprehensive plan," Salellas emphasized. He added: "For this to be possible, the active involvement of residents and organizations will be necessary, as well as the commitment of other administrations to provide resources."

Participation of all governments

The City Council already has a framework document prepared based on the needs identified by municipal services and in the coming weeks plans to present it to the local entities, residents and the Government, with the intention of approving the final plan before the end of the year and beginning its implementation in 2026. Salellas asks the Generalitat that this action "not be dealt with internally, it is" one of the most degraded neighborhoods, not only in Catalonia, but also in the entire State.

"There is a situation of poverty and inequality that is more significant compared to the rest of the city's neighborhoods, therefore, we understand that the Generalitat must be involved, but also the State. It is necessary to make a commitment and a plan ad hoc for the Fuente de la Pólvora and not a neighborhood plan like the one promoted by the Generalitat, which is very good, but which is designed for neighborhoods that have a minimal structure and operation," the mayor stressed.

A year with more police, cleaning and investment

Although specific actions remain to be specified, they are expected to be in line with actions already implemented over the past year, such as improving the security of electrical installations to prevent fraudulent use, reinforcing waste cleanup, removing abandoned vehicles, and demolishing buildings in poor condition. Patrols, coordination with law enforcement agencies, and meetings with neighborhood representatives have also been strengthened.

Finally, ahead of this year's Sant Joan festival, to prevent any recurrence of problems, the authorities have planned a special operation throughout East Girona, led by the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) and in coordination with the Municipal Police.