The Supreme Court has definitively endorsed the construction of the new Barcelona Companion Animal Shelter in the Collserola Natural Park, within the municipality of Montcada i Reixac. The ruling dismisses the appeal filed by the Lliga per a la Defensa del Patrimoni Natural, which had requested the suspension of works already judicially halted in 2023.
The decision removes the main legal obstacle for a project signed in 2014, but does not accelerate its opening in the short term. The Barcelona City Council still has one year to update and re-approve the plan in the plenary session, tender the works, and award the contracts, meaning the center would not become operational until 2030.
The Supreme Court rejected the appeal that halted the works in 2023
The high court's ruling supports the chosen location for the new facility, planned for the Torre Doña Juana estate, next to the Collserola cemetery. The judgment dismisses DEPANA's challenge and nullifies the last judicial front that remained open on the project.
Upon learning of the resolution, Laia Bonet, first deputy mayor of the Barcelona City Council, argued that the project was well-executed and legally compliant. Bonet stated that the judicial decision confirms the position the council had maintained throughout the entire process.
"It confirms what we already knew: that the project was well-executed, in accordance with the law, as it could not be otherwise" - Laia Bonet, first deputy mayor, Barcelona City Council
The timeline, in any case, remains long. The council must redo the administrative approval within one year and then initiate the tender for works that will last two years, to which another six months for commissioning will be added.
The new center will have 6,000 m² and capacity for 500 animals
The facility will replace the current kennel on the Arrabassada road, in service since 1972 and with structural limitations. The new installation will occupy a fenced area of 2.6 hectares with garden areas and a built surface area of 6,000 m².
Within that space, the center will be able to house 350 dogs and 150 cats in the new facilities. The service will not be limited to Barcelona, as it will also serve Montcada i Reixac.
In addition to housing animals, the complex will incorporate lines of work aimed at promoting adoption and responsible ownership. The project also foresees collaboration with the university sector to promote research on animal welfare, in a similar vein to the management of feline colonies and other municipal policies linked to animal protection.
The agreement to build the new center was signed on November 5, 2014, and the facility will be located on the Torre Doña Juana estate, next to the Collserola cemetery.