Salou rethinks l'Eix Cívic, the space gained from the old train tracks

Salou. Costa Dorada. 30 July 2022. The municipality of Salou, like other coastal municipalities such as Cambrils, Mont-roig del Camp or l'Hospitalet de l'Infant, were divided for many years due to the passage of the train, which established a physical barrier between the interior and the coastal area, frequently affected by accidents, pedestrians being run over, traffic congestion, noise, non-stop fast trains, etc.

Finally, and after many years of pressure on the Spanish government, and not without opposition, in January 2020 the last train ran on the tracks that linked, among others, Salou and l'Hospitalet de l'Infant.

From here began the management of the land that has been released, in the case of Salou an important transversal strip that, in the old part of the municipality, passes near such emblematic elements as the Torre Vella, a watchtower built to defend of the pirates and which is now an important cultural center, or the church of Santa María, among other references of the old town of Salou.

This strip of land will not be completely detached from the easements since, in the future, the new tramway will run along it, linking the coastal municipalities with the city of Tarragona and, inland, with Reus, an ambitious project to interconnect the metropolitan area to be carried out by the government of the Generalitat.

Salou City Council, for its part, and taking into account this servitude and the urban development of the area, recently presented a preliminary project for the development of the Eix Cívic, the civic axis, the name given to this action.

The preliminary project plans to convert this entire urban nucleus into a large avenue with a large square in its central part and to provide the project with all kinds of cultural, landscape elements, etc., but it also planned to erect various buildings that have aroused opposition from one part of the neighbors who do not agree with this draft.

This opposition was expressed in the plenary session held on July 27, during which the mayor, Pere Granados, regretted that the opposition to the initial proposal had not been channeled through the different phases of public exposure that, due to the time, the initial document has been submitted.

In any case, assured the mayor, this first document has been discarded, at least in terms of buildings, and now the path of meetings and meetings in search of consensus has been resumed.

The mayor also explained that the project resulting from l'Eix Cívic will not only provide the backbone for new mobility, but will also allow the development of a sustainable urban model "which will be articulated with the implementation of an open, functional and comfortable space, with large wooded and landscaped areas, a combination of green spaces and areas for children's and youth leisure, cultural and artistic revitalization areas; creating an environment of progress, well-being and quality of citizen life”.

It will not be an easy process, but it is to be hoped that in the coming months Salou will find the necessary agreements to develop this area which, without a doubt, will have a significant impact on the future of the municipality.

Salou, according to its general plan (POUM), works with a horizon of between 30 and 35,000 inhabitants, a figure that, according to the document, is considered optimal to reach the critical mass of inhabitants that the municipality needs and in which, without a doubt, the Eix Cívic will be one of the great assets for its future in the medium and long term.

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