The resolution of the conflict over the possession of the Can Raventós farmhouse, located in the Sarrià neighborhood of Barcelona, has become an unending saga. After court rulings overturned the plan approved in 2020 that authorized the construction of two luxury apartment blocks on the garden, the council agreed to the demand of the Defensem Can Raventós platform for the entire plot to become public property.
The government led by Mayor Jaume Collboni has negotiated with the real estate company Corp, the owner of the land, which had announced the construction of high-value homes. Although a total land swap was initially proposed, allowing Corp to build on other vacant lots in exchange for the public ownership of the farmhouse and garden, this option, desired by the residents, has stalled.
The neighborhood platform met in mid-January with the councilor for the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district, Maria Eugènia Gay, where the district revealed that Corp flatly refused a total swap. Consequently, the council has reportedly resumed the offer of a partial exchange, which would allow the real estate company to build on part of the garden, causing dismay among activists.
“"We feel like we are in Groundhog Day. The neighborhood wants a total swap and it is hard to understand why it is not achieved."
During the Barcelona City Council plenary session this Friday, Councilwoman Gay stated that negotiations with Corp remain “active” and that all options are “open,” although she acknowledged that it is an “urban and patrimonial operation of high complexity.” She added that there is no “legal formula to force a private individual to sell.”
Given the possibility of construction on part of the estate, the Defensem Can Raventós platform has called an assembly for next Monday to decide on future actions, anticipating that there will be mobilizations to demand a total exchange.
