The Sitges Sea Club closes, evicted by the State

Sitges / BarcelonaThe Sitges Club de Mar was emptied this Tuesday against the clock after the State requested the eviction of the entity, which was finally upheld by the courts. This is the outcome of a dispute that the Sitges club has been waging with the Ministry of Ecological Transition (MITECO) for months in an attempt to prevent the demolition of the space. Finally, the club must comply with the notification they received last Thursday, October 16, and leave.

The Spanish government argues that the club is located in maritime-terrestrial domain and violates coastal law, and the Barcelona Court agrees: it has concluded that the Sitges Club de Mar must close its doors and return the space to the Spanish state, considering that it is located in a domain space. "73 years of history have disappeared overnight," laments the board of the club, which has more than 340 members, in statements to ACN. They find the eviction "incomprehensible" and complain that they have been given very little time to organize and clear the premises.

Last May, the TSJC halted the demolition of the club proposed by the Spanish government. after the yacht club's legal appeals. But that small victory is now forgotten, and Benjamin Cervera, vice president of nautical affairs at Club de Mar, expresses the group's frustration. "We made a financial effort to hire lawyers to stop the demolition, but now we're faced with the unpleasant surprise they're throwing at us," he laments.

The conflict, however, goes way back: in 2018, the ministry already sent a notice accusing them of illegal occupation on Sitges's Ribera promenade and ordering them to pay 60,000 euros. "They told us it was a minor fine, but that we had to pay it," continues Fuster-Fabra, former vice president and spokesperson, who claims they paid the amount, and then walked away, without luck.

"If we had any hope last May that we could continue, last week it was annihilated," adds the association's president, Gemma Marcé, in statements to ARA. The Sitges Sea Club has been operating since 1952 and is an institution when it comes to water sports. To close it down, the State accuses the facility, which measures 1,800 m² on the seafront, of violating the law and operating without a business license. Cervera argues that the organization was founded under an "obsolete" coastal law and believes the space is a "necessity" to meet the demand for maritime activities in the area and "guarantee the future of water sports in Catalonia."

"We will continue fighting and will talk to whoever is necessary."

"We don't know if there will be immediate demolition, but we know it will definitely happen because we know the company they've contacted to do it," says Marcé. For now, the club's materials and furnishings will remain in warehouses while the club decides how to approach its future.

Although they are clear that they must hand over the keys to the club by early Thursday, the board wants to file for bankruptcy as a solution for the thirty employees. Furthermore, they have already filed a lawsuit to claim the right to use the space and thus avoid conflicts and vandalism once it is abandoned. "As long as the building remains standing, we will continue fighting and will speak with whoever is necessary," comments the vice president.

The Club de Mar members are also very upset with the Generalitat (Catalan Government) and Sitges City Council. The council says it has requested the transfer of use at the municipal level, and the board believes this is untrue: according to Cervera, the State had already denied this request "actively and passively." As for the Generalitat (Catalan Government), the club accuses them of complicity in the eviction and their failure to defend Catalan nautical sport. In this regard, he asserts that the Spanish government has closed other similar clubs in recent years, such as the one in Cabrera or the one in Pineda de Mar, and that there are 18 others in a similar situation.