Modernizing industrial estates is a priority objective of the Barcelona Provincial Council.
The corporation is funding 53 industrial estate renovation projects in the province with €38 million, which will benefit 10,000 companies and more than 175,000 workers.
The vast majority of industrial companies are located in industrial estates, and there are currently 817 in the province of Barcelona. Industrial estates are the responsibility of municipalities and, therefore, become the main instrument of transformation they have at their disposal to promote industry and generate wealth in their territories. However, at the same time, these are infrastructures that require a high level of maintenance to ensure the competitiveness of the companies that operate there and attract new investment.
Almost half of the existing industrial estates are spaces built before 1978 and, therefore, have accumulated deficiencies and shortcomings in services and infrastructure. The costs of maintenance and the investments required for their renovation are generally not covered by revenue and often generate chronic deficits for municipalities, especially the smallest ones.
With the aim of supporting the province's municipalities and productive sector, the Barcelona Provincial Council has allocated more than €80 million to finance 413 industrial estate revitalization projects since 2006, of which 77% of these facilities have benefited.
The current one Sectoral Program for the Improvement of Industrial Estates 2025-2028, resolved in February, plans to allocate 38 million euros to 53 improvement projects in industrial estates in municipalities in the province. approved projects They are distributed among several regions: 15 in Baix Llobregat, 12 in Vallès Occidentals, 7 in Vallès Oriental, 6 in Bages, 3 in Maresme, 3 in Berguedà, 2 in Osona, 2 in Anoia, 1 in Barcelonès, 1 in Garraf and 1 in Moianès.
This investment will have a direct impact on 10,000 companies and more than 175,000 workers. The previous edition of the Modernization Plan—which ran from 2018 to 2022—was endowed with €30 million. At that time, 545 infrastructures in 120 industrial estates were created or improved, benefiting 9,645 companies and 116,817 workers.
In this edition, funded projects can respond to different areas of improvement, from energy supply to mobility, including telecommunications, security, air quality, and the promotion of the same polygons at the brand image scale.
Improvements that affect people's lives
Although talking about industrial estates may seem far removed from the concerns of citizens, the actions carried out have had a direct impact on the well-being of industrial estate users and also on the residents of the municipalities where they are located. "When I heard about these charging points being installed, I decided it was a good time to take the step of purchasing an electric vehicle," says Enric Bartra, a worker at the Domenys II industrial estate in Vilafranca del Penedès. Electric vehicle charging points have been installed at this facility, thanks to the €1.6 million contributed by the Provincial Council, which has helped reduce the industrial estate's energy costs by 60% and benefited 2,270 workers.
Joan Hil Morgades, a worker at the Domenys II industrial estate in Vilafranca del Penedès, also changed vehicles, but in this case it was thanks to the construction of a bike lane on the estate: "I used to travel on a scooter, on the road, between cars and trucks; now I ride a bike on the new bike lane, and that has allowed me to gain some peace of mind."
In addition to the workers, many projects in industrial estates positively affect society as a whole. This is the case for the users of the Atendis Private Foundation residence, located in the Can Roqueta industrial estate in Sabadell: "In addition to the improvement in general aspects such as lighting, we can now go out for walks with people in wheelchairs on the newly renovated path along the riverbank," explains Montse Estrada, the facility's manager.
For more information You can check the details of the 53 projects that will receive funding from the 2025-2028 Sectoral Programme for the Improvement of Industrial Estates.
The actions of the Barcelona Provincial Council respond to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 and are part of the 2030 Agenda. The Barcelona Provincial Council assumes its compliance and the SDGs.