The municipal government of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat has submitted objections to the second initial approval of the new Metropolitan Urban Development Plan (PDUM), promoted by the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB). The objective is to reduce the number of homes planned for construction in the city, which ranges between 5,000 and 6,000 units.
The City Council argues that available land should be allocated to the creation of green spaces and public facilities, asserting that L'Hospitalet already experiences high urban pressure. They believe the burden of metropolitan growth should fall on other municipalities in the region.
José Antonio Alcaide, deputy mayor for Urban Agenda 2030-2050, explained that while the PDUM proposes finding spaces for future residential growth in the metropolitan area, L'Hospitalet has already undergone such growth in previous years. "In L'Hospitalet, we don't need more housing but better housing, and above all, spaces for green areas and facilities for our citizens," he stated.
The objections specifically focus on the Samontà area, where they oppose any increase in residential land north of the railway lines. Furthermore, in the vicinity of the Torrassa metro station, they request that the Ocellets Park and the Torrent Gornal market be maintained as open spaces.
The municipal government also rejects the construction of more housing in the areas that will be freed up by covering the railway lines. Alcaide affirmed that "we want all the free space generated by the undergrounding of the tracks to be dedicated to green areas and facilities for the neighborhood." This includes the areas of L'Hospitalet Centre, Santa Eulàlia, and Bellvitge-Gornal, where the PDUM projects over 2,000 homes.
It has also been requested that the PDUM not interfere with the development of the future Can Rigal Clinical Campus, where the City Council advocates for reducing the number of planned apartments.
The group Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya – Esquerra Unida i Alternativa (ERC+EUiA) has also submitted objections with similar arguments. The metropolitan councilors for L'Hospitalet representing PSC and ERC+EUiA abstained from the initial approval of the PDUM last February. Provisional approval is expected by autumn 2027.
