The occupation of the thirty flats at numbers 13 and 15 of ronda Ferran Puig in Girona, between Marquès de Camps square and the train tracks, has led to a change of scenery in the area since the beginning of August 2024, when people started moving into the building. In a few days, the two blocks were completely occupied.
With the passing of the months, the typology of occupations has varied. Initially, the flats were inhabited mainly by families or by people looking for a place to sleep. Later, the arrival of people with criminal records and profiles linked to crime was detected, known for committing thefts and other crimes, an evolution that has been accompanied by an increase in police interventions in this part of the city.
More incidents and tension in the environment
The recent context of the Ferran Puig ring road is marked by several fights and by the appearance of different types of weapons. Before, in the area, at most, isolated episodes of marijuana trafficking were detected. Some attempts to occupy some of the building's doors have also ended in altercations.
This change of profile is partly related to the disappearance or transformation of other spaces where these people took refuge. Among them are the demolition of the warehouses on the Barcelona road and the imminent eviction of the old Simon factory. The demolition of that same complex also appears as one of the factors that would have pushed part of this population towards other points in Girona.
A building pending demolition for more than two decades
The property on Ferran Puig round 13 and 15 has been dragging for years an urbanistic situation marked by the revision of the General Plan approved in 2002. Then it was decreed that the building had to be demolished. The prospect continues to be the demolition, although there is still no fixed calendar.
In that urbanistic review, it was considered that, in different points of the surroundings of the train track, respite spaces were needed. The planning drew wide areas for pedestrians at the confluence of Tomàs Mieres, Bonastruc de Porta, Bernat Boades streets and Ferran Puig ring road.
From the degradation of the property to the neighbor complaints
Over the years, the residents of the building were leaving. Also, a reinforcement and training academy left the first floor. On the ground floor operated a Chinese restaurant and an appliance store, which ended up closing or moving to other points on the same street.
The building progressively degraded. The falling of elements from the facade and balconies forced the installation of nets to avoid risks to pedestrians. As this deterioration advanced, the neighbors began to report noises, drug trafficking, and problems with water and electricity supplies.
The complaints also reached the sanitary state of the property. The neighbors warned of serious health deficiencies due to a burst sewage pipe. In this context, the block has ended up converted into a
"victim"