Green light for a new episode of the long reconquest of the coastal strip for public use that Barcelona undertook more than 30 years ago. The City Council's Planning Commission initially approved yesterday, with the votes of BComú, PSC, ERC, Ciutadans, Valents, PP and non-affiliated councilor Marilén Barceló and the abstention of Junts, the executive redevelopment project for the section center of Paseo de la Mar Bella, from the sports complex to Carrer Josep Pla, just before the Fòrum marine platform. What is today a deserted and wasted space next to the sea will become a better connected place, green and adapted to the new landscape conditions dictated by the fight against climate change, that is to say, with vegetation adapted to these circumstances .
The space affected by this urban project covers an area of about 11 hectares from end to end. It will take place in three areas: that of the Poblenou-Agapito Fernández municipal football field, that of the Paseo de la Mar Bella itself (which covers an area of more than 40,000 m2) and that of the marine platform. It is the piece that was missing to complete the transformation of Barcelona's waterfront, from Barceloneta to the Forum and Besòs.
The layout of the new promenade should help to smooth out a highly frequented area. The project envisages that the width of the promenade for pedestrians will be 12 metres, that it will be well lit and that, to avoid the perception of insecurity, it will offer good visibility and eliminate corners. It will also include a 4 meter wide lane for bikes and electric scooters.
The promenade will be accessed from the city mainly by crossing the Bac de Roda, Selva de Mar and Josep Pla bridges, which will lead to a kind of gateway to the sea where public information points, kiosks, tracks will be installed of beach volleyball, rest areas, bike parking and, as a prominent element, bleachers that will have the function of a viewpoint towards the sea. The new configuration will also facilitate direct access to the Mar Bella sand. The two current levels will disappear to merge promenade and beach by means of gentle ramps and slopes that reduce the existing unevenness.
The promenade will have a thousand newly planted trees of 17 species to shade the seafront. After the initial approval of the project, a procedure begins that can culminate with the start of the works in the second quarter of 2024. The duration will be 20 months with a budget of 21.2 million euros.
