The transfer of 10,000 square meters of the Tabacalera de Tarragona for the future library will not arrive before summer, as initially planned, and the City Council now places the approval of the file between October and before Christmas. The delay affects one of the central pieces of the cultural and educational project planned for the site.
The paradox is that the Ministry of Culture already registered in mid-April the formal request to receive municipal approval, fulfilling its part of a political agreement announced 70 days ago, while the local process remains unresolved and keeps the transfer blocked. Without that step, the rest of the development remains in suspense even though the announced investment for the library, the conservatory, and Euses amounts to at least 20 million euros.
The file will not be ready until autumn due to the horizontal division and notarial procedures
The municipal government attributes the delay to administrative complexity. The process requires a horizontal division of space within the building and a reporting protocol with notary visits, steps that, in the council's opinion, cannot be rushed.
Rubén Viñuales, mayor of Tarragona, assumed that calendar and lowered expectations about the initial deadlines.
"Things are going well, but sometimes not as fast as we would like" - Rubén Viñuales, mayor of Tarragona
In addition to the transfer to the library, the City Council is working on the recataloging of the premises to facilitate future works in both the noble part and the warehouses of the Tabacalera. In parallel, the Generalitat de Catalunya is drafting the usage plan that will specify how the future complex will be configured.
En Comú Podem reproaches that seven months of processing keep the project paralyzed
Jordi Collado, municipal spokesperson for En Comú Podem, questioned that the municipal approval is prolonged for seven months in a file that he considers a priority. His criticism focuses on the distance between the announced political impetus and the real speed of processing.
"We have to speed up the process. Seven months for a procedure that should be a priority seems excessive to me" - Jordi Collado, municipal spokesperson for En Comú Podem, Tarragona City Council
Collado added that, if human resources are lacking, the municipal government should reinforce the team in charge of the file. He also recalled that the Ministry of Culture already formalized the request weeks ago and that the Generalitat will soon have the usage plan, so that without the municipal transfer the entire project is paralyzed.
The spokesperson for En Comú Podem went further and maintained that it is the first time that a ministry has shown more interest in Tarragona than the municipal government itself. The criticism comes at a time when the operation continues to be supported by political commitments, but still without a binding administrative document from the State guaranteeing the announced investment.
The announced minimum investment reaches 20 million, but it still does not have a binding document
The plan for the Tobacco Factory groups the new library, the conservatory, and the Euses physical education university. The economic forecast communicated so far sets a minimum investment of 20 million euros, although that amount remains a political intention for now.
That documentary void adds pressure on the deadlines for the formal transfer. State political uncertainty also appears in the background, as the current PSOE Government is in the minority and without budgets since 2023, with General Elections theoretically scheduled for the summer of 2027.
For the moment, the calendar that the council is managing places the resolution of the file between October and before Christmas, after the Ministry of Culture submitted the formal request in mid-April.