La Paeria carried out on Wednesday the dismantling of the illegal shanty camp located on Josep Tarradellas avenue, next to the Seròs canal, in Lleida. This intervention puts the focus on the presence of other similar settlements in different parts of the city, where coexistence and police control are constant.
Settlements in several neighborhoods of Lleida
In addition to the camp dismantled in Tarradellas, settlements with shacks have been identified in neighborhoods such as Pardinyes, La Bordeta, Cappont, Turó de Gardeny and l"Horta. The largest of these settlements is located on the outskirts of La Bordeta, on Artesa avenue, where at least half a dozen shacks are spread across several properties.
Antonio, 68 years old, resides on Artesa avenue since 2018. He explains that the property where he lives belongs to a private individual who allows him to be there and that, although he resides alone in a house built with wood, he receives visits from family and friends who live in nearby apartments. Antonio assures that in the area the number of shacks has increased in recent years.
"Along Artesa avenue there are several, but they are quite scattered. Here I don't bother anyone, I'm fine and the police and social services come to visit me to see how I am, I don't need anything else" - Antonio, resident
Antonio himself highlights that he has been living in the area for three decades and that he has never caused problems. Before, he resided in Albatàrrec, but since he moved to La Bordeta, he claims to feel more integrated into the neighborhood and closer to services in case of need.
Police control and neighborhood perception
The situation of these settlements is known by the neighborhood associations. Juanjo Gatius, neighborhood president of La Bordeta, points out that the settlement on Artesa avenue is under the control of the Guardia Urbana and the Mossos d"Esquadra, and that it does not generate conflicts in the neighborhood. He adds that there is another settlement at the end of Sicorís street.
"It is controlled by the Urbana and the Mossos and does not generate any problem, but it is not the only one in the neighborhood, since at the end of Sicorís street there is another" - Juanjo Gatius, neighborhood president of La Bordeta
In Cappont, neighborhood president Veni Ros recognizes that the evicted Tarradellas camp was not the only one in the area and that its conditions were not adequate. However, she emphasizes that some people prefer to live in these settlements rather than moving to apartments.
"It is true that the evicted Tarradellas camp, which is not the only one in the area, was not in good conditions and we don't like them living like that, but there are people who prefer to be there than in flats" - Veni Ros, neighborhood president of Cappont
Presence in the Turó de Gardeny and other points
Montse Muixí, president of Turó de Gardeny, confirms the existence of settlements in the old Turó discotheque and in disused military buildings. She indicates that many of the people who reside there have been doing so for years and that the police and municipal social services carry out regular monitoring.
"Many have lived there for years, but they are controlled by the police and the social services of the city council" - Montse Muixí, president of Turó de Gardeny
Camps have also been detected in l'Horta, in the vicinity of the canalization and at the end of Xavier Puig Andreu street in Pardinyes. All these settlements are under the supervision of the Guardia Urbana, the Mossos d'Esquadra and the social services of the city council.
The situation of the settlements in Lleida remains under police and social surveillance, with special attention to coexistence and to the living conditions of their occupants.