The ghost shopping centre in Vila Olímpica goes up for auction in Barcelona

The State is putting the Centro de la Vila up for sale for almost 26 million. The building, nearly empty and with serious structural problems, is looking for a buyer amid uncertainty. The future of the space is a concern for local residents and businesses.

Centro de la Vila, right in the heart of the Vila Olímpica, is once again in the spotlight. The State has decided to auction off this shopping centre, which is practically deserted, with a starting price of 25.7 million euros. The news has shaken residents and regulars in the area, as the building has spent years accumulating closed shops and a desolate atmosphere.

The complex, which opened in 1995 after the Olympic transformation of the neighbourhood, has never managed to establish itself as a commercial hub. The closure of the Icaria Yelmo cinema in 2023 was the latest blow to a gallery already marked by the crisis and lack of activity. The Ayuntamiento de Barcelona declined to take over the property months ago, citing the high cost and the need for a major refurbishment.

The auction, scheduled for 10 June in Madrid, includes all the premises, the car park, and the shopping gallery as a single lot. If no buyer appears in the first round, the price could drop to 18.5 million in subsequent calls. However, the operation is complicated: the official documentation warns of water leaks, cracks, electrical problems, and a cooling system that does not meet regulations.

The Ayuntamiento will closely monitor the process, keeping an eye on possible projects that could revitalise this strategic space by the sea. In the meantime, uncertainty hangs over the few businesses that remain and the residents, who see the heart of their neighbourhood stuck in limbo.

Vila Olímpica was born as a symbol of modern Barcelona after the 1992 Games. The neighbourhood, built on former industrial land, was designed to house thousands of athletes and, later, new residents attracted by its proximity to the sea. Centro de la Vila was conceived as a commercial and social hub, but it never achieved the expected dynamism. Its future, once again, depends on an auction and the ability to reinvent a key space for urban life in the city.