During the inaugural act of the beginning of works, more than 50 people accompanied us, supporting the driving partners of the first cooperative housing of Palamós.

The first members will move in in 2026, and we still have new recruitment campaigns planned to complete the total of 34 homes in the development.

Yesterday we celebrated the official start of the works on the cooperative housing project 'Terra de Mar' in Palamós, powered by us, Sostre Cívic, and the Town Hall of the municipality. The event was attended by more than 50 people, including the driving partners and various local, regional and Generalitat authorities. The 'Terra de Mar' project is being developed on a 1000 m² public plot of land given by the council on Avinguda Catalunya and consists of 34 homes of between 39 and 67 m², designed by UMMA arquitectes. The construction of this innovative model of access to the right to housing is a pioneer in Girona, and is financed with 5 million euros contributed mainly by the Official Credit Institute (ICO), in addition to a grant of the Generalitat.

Our promotion exemplifies the collaboration between the public sector and non-profit cooperatives in order to guarantee the right to housing. At least 25% of the homes are reserved for vulnerable groups, such as people over 65, young people up to 35 and single-parent families. The lease contracts are for life, with monthly installments of €490 to €780 depending on the size of the homes, and a returnable capital contribution of €12.000 to €19.000.

We also focus on sustainability. The homes are built with the highest standards of energy efficiency and sustainability, obtaining the A energy certification and the VERDE certification of sustainable construction, being the first cooperative housing development to obtain a certificate of this type. The VERDE (Economic Design Reference Efficiency Assessment) is a sustainability certification developed by the Green Building Council Spain (GBCe), and is a key tool to promote sustainable construction and encourage environmentally friendly construction practices, improving the quality of buildings and contributing to a more sustainable development. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, with residents moving in at the beginning of 2026.

A letter to the future as a cry against speculation

During the event, Sergio Parrello, partner of Sostre Cívic, introduced the event and welcomed the attendees. Avoiding the classic 'first stone', the emotion of the cooperative members was reflected in the reading of a letter addressed to our neighbors of the future, hoping that one day future generations will find it. "Perhaps it will seem incredible to you, but when the people of Sostre Cívic we built this house, it happened that having a place to live, rest, have privacy and security, was becoming a luxury. Although, housing was recognized as a fundamental right, in practice the greed and property speculation of the sun, banks, investment funds and the governments themselves denied this right every day", read the letter that one of the members read aloud. "Our house is part of this struggle, of the collective desire to have a dignified life in a better world", we claimed.

During the parliaments, Eva Ortigosa, representative of the Governing Council of Sostre Cívic, highlighted that with the Terra de Mar project "we don't just build homes, we also reinforce our commitment to an anti-speculative model that guarantees access to decent and affordable housing for everyone". Then, Sílvia Grau and Fontanals, director of the Housing Agency of Catalonia, representing the Generalitat of Catalonia, emphasized "the public administrations have a strategic obligation to financially and legally support the projects promoted by the social entities that build homes on public land with a social commitment and also with sustainability. For this we have contributed 1 million euros, with the direct subsidy of the Housing Agency of Catalonia, and almost three hundred thousand euros from Program 6 of the Next Generation. Cooperative housing is a tool that we want to be key to facilitating access to housing, which is why it is very important that Sostre Cívic has set up a project that prioritizes vulnerable groups".

Finally, Raquel Gallego, first deputy mayor and housing councilor of the City Council of Palamós, he emphasized "This project means for the residents of Palamós and Sant Joan an alternative access to housing with a concept of coexistence that is not well known in our territory, but which we believe can be the basis of a new model. A model that conceives housing as a good for use and not as an investment or property, putting people and their needs at the center and is part of the commitment to create cooperative, sustainable and socially responsible housing ".

The last campaign to add members to the project closed last May 26, but it is expected to reopen later to complete the 34 coexistence units. Interested persons can register at terrademar.sostrecivic.cat to receive information about future additions.

This project is a letter to the future, a cry against speculation and a firm step towards a fairer and more sustainable housing model.