The plenary session of the Lleida City Council will process next Thursday 30 the initial approval of the new Municipal Urban Planning Plan, a document that outlines the city's growth for the next 25 years and that reaches the debate with a broad majority. The plan has the support of PSC, PP and Junts, who add up to 19 of the 27 councilors.
The new POUM sets a maximum of 34,185 new homes and establishes a population ceiling of 212,398 inhabitants. It also reserves 515.7 hectares for green areas and 251.8 for facilities, in addition to foreseeing seven dissuasive parking lots on the outskirts of the city.
"It is the most important document that a municipal government can make and it is the result of consensus" - Fèlix Larrosa, mayor of Lleida
A residential and economic growth plan
The document incorporates one of the main transformation areas in the station's surroundings. There are planned 1,243 homes, with 46% affordable. The action also includes new walkways to improve the connection of Pardinyes with the urban center, a north entrance via Roger de Llúria, three commercial buildings with 50,000 square meters, and an administrative building of the Generalitat.
Next to the residential front, the POUM proposes the development of 6 million square meters of industrial land. The municipal forecast is that this area will allow to generate 11,257 jobs, in a bid to expand the economic capacity of Lleida and diversify areas of activity.
"The city of tomorrow is already here" - Fèlix Larrosa, mayor of Lleida
Facilities, relocations and new centralities
Among the operations included in the plan are the relocation of the Fira, the relocation of the Ciutat Jardí prison, the recovery of the Teatre Principal and the creation of a sports city in Els Mangraners. These are some of the actions called to reorder strategic pieces of the municipality and to redefine uses in different sectors of Lleida.
In the political debate prior to the plenary session, the head of the opposition and leader of the PP, Xavi Palau, defended that the text incorporates part of his proposals for the city.
"The government assumes our great city project for the Turó de Gardeny, which will transform the area" - Xavi Palau, spokesperson for the PP
Junts has also confirmed its support. The group's spokesperson, Violant Cervera, valued that their proposals had been included in the final draft.
"We are satisfied because all the proposals that we had made have been taken into account, such as recognizing the uniqueness of l"Horta" - Violant Cervera, spokesperson for Junts
Public exhibition after the first approval
If the plenary gives the green light to this first phase of processing, the document will be subjected to public exhibition for 45 days for the presentation of allegations. That period will open the next stage of a plan that will order urban growth, mobility, economic activity, and the network of facilities of the capital of Segrià during the next quarter century.