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The Congrés sports centre sparks a neighbourhood dispute over noise and traffic
The project to build a new sports centre in the Congrés neighbourhood has sparked a heated debate in Sant Andreu. Eight residential blocks near the Concepció Arenal y Can Ros site have filed objections with the City Council over the potential increase in noise, traffic, and the loss of tranquillity in an area where around seventy families live.
The initiative began as a citizen proposal driven by the Asociación Deportiva Fútbol Sala Arrels and supported by the AVV Congrés-Indians. In the 2024-2027 Presupuestos Participativos, it received 2,203 votes, making it the second most supported proposal in Sant Andreu and one of the most voted in all of Barcelona.
The project was allocated 880,000 euros to draft the preliminary plan. The municipal calendar schedules the final draft for 2028 and suggests the facility could open during the following term, although the City Council is still reviewing the objections submitted and possible alternatives.
Residents grouped in the Comunidad de Propietarios de Concepción Arenal are calling for the process to be halted until detailed studies on mobility, noise, and environmental impact are available. They also demand direct information about each phase of the process before the project moves forward.
The complex would cover about 5,300 square metres and include a semi-underground sports court, rooms for physical training and martial arts, a multipurpose room, two padel courts, four petanque courts, and a car park. Residents fear that the constant arrival of users, especially young people, will change the current atmosphere of the area.
Opponents also point to the possible impact on vegetation and the colony of common swifts present in the area. Added to this is the suspicion that there may be archaeological remains under the current courts, possibly linked to an old farmhouse or even a Roman villa, so they are calling for preliminary studies.
As alternatives, residents suggest looking into a former textile factory on Puerto Príncipe street, a disused petrol station on Felip II, or reorganising the district's petanque clubs. The City Council will have to assess whether any of these options can meet the sporting demand without concentrating all activity in Can Ros.
The project also puts at risk the future of the Meridiana tennis and padel club, which has been on the site since 2004. If the works go ahead, its courts would disappear, adding another layer to the debate between those calling for more public facilities and those who want to preserve the current sports uses.