The La Bastida building – Pati del Gall It is being built on municipal land and will have 24 sustainable homes with a wooden structure and community spaces for community living.

The project is part of the scale-up of Sostre Cívic thanks to the European credit from the CEB.

This Saturday, January 25, 2025, we celebrated a very special day: the start of construction on the cooperative housing project The Bastide – Pati del Gall, located in the Espirall neighborhood of Vilafranca del Penedès. It is the first cooperative building in new construction in the Penedès, a project that we have promoted since Sostre Cívic together with the local entity The Bastide and with the support of the Vilafranca City Council. This project also has European financing through CEB credit.

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A day full of emotions

More than 150 people joined us on this significant day. The event began with a parade animated by the grallas and the Tabalers of the Colla Infantil dels Diables de Sant Julià, who led us to the site. There, we listened to speeches by Carlos Alcoba, president of the Governing Council of Sostre Cívic,mayor of Vilafranca, Francisco Romero, and representatives of the La Bastida driving group, such as Michael Martorell, who presented and hosted the event, and Anna Bota, spokesperson for the project.

Carlos Alcoba, president of Sostre Cívic, highlighted: “This project is an example of what cooperative housing can contribute in the current context: a viable, fair and sustainable solution to the housing crisis.” He also highlighted the collaboration with the Vilafranca City Council and the work of the La Bastida driving group: “This project would not be possible without the commitment of the City Council or without the involvement and struggle of the people who make up La Bastida, who have shown that by working collectively we can make another way of living a reality.”

For his part, the mayor of Vilafranca, Francisco Romero, highlighted the municipality's commitment to the cooperative housing model: “For Vilafranca, committing to this project means guaranteeing that housing can be a right and not a luxury. Giving this plot to Sostre Cívic allows us to contribute to building a more just and communal future.”

From La Bastida, the exciting journey that has meant getting here after seven years since its foundation in the municipality was shared. In the reading of the collective letter read by member Anna Bota, spokesperson for the driving group: “Today we are making a dream come true that began in 2018 with the aim of making access to housing a guaranteed right and not a privilege. But this dream will not be complete until the right to housing is a reality for everyone.” His speech also highlighted: “For some people, La Bastida – Pati del Gall It is much more than a building: it is a place where walls do not prevent us from knowing how we are, asking for salt or taking care of ourselves when we grow up. A space to play, hang clothes and build bonds that strengthen the community.”

One of the most emotional moments was the symbolic burial of a time box, which contained contemporary objects such as a map of an orienteering race, a gralla inxa and a photograph of the families who were behind it. The participating children were in charge of burying this box, symbolizing the official start of the works on what will soon be the house that will see them grow up.

A project that transforms the territory

The building will have 24 homes on a leasehold basis, which we will build with sustainability and high energy efficiency criteria. Its wooden structure and community spaces such as multipurpose rooms, laundry, shared parking and green spaces will make this project a commitment to a model of coexistence that promotes mutual support and environmental sustainability.

The plot where the building will be located is municipal property and has been transferred by the Vilafranca City Council for a period of 75 years. This, added to the cooperative model in right of use, guarantees affordable access to housing for participating families. Monthly payments will remain between 600 and 1.000 euros, with an initial refundable contribution of between 20.000 and 35.000 euros.

A key milestone for the ladder jump of Sostre Cívic

This project is part of our scale-up, made possible by a €31 million loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB). With this funding, we will be able to build more than 350 social housing units under right of use regime in Catalonia, consolidating the cooperative model as a real and sustainable alternative to the housing crisis.

During the last registration campaign, more than 15 new living units were interested in joining the project, which currently has a driving group initially formed by nine families. If you want to be part of this transformative initiative, you can find all the information on the website: patidelgall.sostrecivic.cat.

A Sostre Cívic We believe that another way of understanding housing is possible, and with this project, Vilafranca del Penedès reaffirms itself as an example of transformative and community housing.