The municipal lot located in Passeig de Torres i Bages, which has been awarded to our cooperative, is part of the ESAL Agreement, which promotes cooperative housing in Barcelona

With 75 homes, it will be the largest right of use cooperative development in Catalonia and the state 

The project includes an inclusive community accompanied by the TEB cooperative group of up to 24 people with intellectual disabilities

Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Housing and Rehabilitation, signed this morning the deed of constitution of the surface right on the lot located at Passeig Torres i Bages 126-128, in the neighborhood of Sant Andreu, in favor of the cooperative Sostre Cívic. The goal is for the cooperative to develop there the largest cooperative housing project in right of use in Catalonia and the state, in addition to having an inclusive community within it for people with intellectual disabilities. The transfer of municipal land is part of the ESAL Convention, which promotes cooperative housing in the city.

In practical terms, the official signature at Barcelona City Council allows a Sostre Cívic have the right to use the land for 99 years, assuming the cost of building the building. This land is qualified as Official Protection Housing, which allows maximum income limits to be established for each cohabitation unit.

The signing of this agreement follows the same path as the first surface rights signed by the City Council as part of the ESAL Agreement, such as the case of the Sarrià site for the project Can 70, which will be the first cooperative housing specifically for the elderly in Barcelona.

Development of the ESAL Agreement

The ESAL Agreement, signed in 2020 between Barcelona City Council and the main federations of cooperatives and social housing foundations, is an innovative public collaboration mechanism to increase the social housing stock. Through this agreement, public lots are ceded to non-profit entities for the construction and rehabilitation of officially protected housing intended for rent and for the assignment of the right of use through the constitution of surface rights. This initiative encourages both the growth of the public housing stock and the diversification of the agents involved in this area.

The Agreement establishes an alliance between Barcelona City Council and the Federation of Housing Cooperatives of Catalonia (FCHC), the Coordinator of Social Housing Foundations (Cohabitac),Solidarity Economy Network Association (XES) i theAssociation of Social Housing Policy Managers of Catalonia (GHS). All the information and activity generated around the agreement can be consulted on the website housing.social/barcelona.

A pioneering agreement between housing and inclusion cooperatives

The future cooperative housing building in Sant Andreu de Barcelona is also a pioneering project of mutual cooperation and inclusion. Driven by the TEB cooperative group, the building will include an inclusive community for people with intellectual disabilities, providing them with support in all aspects of the project. It is the first inter-cooperation agreement between TEB and Sostre Cívic, with the aim of solving access to affordable housing and promoting social inclusion. The inclusive community will have adapted spaces and is estimated to house approximately 25 people with intellectual disabilities, along with other residents committed to the inclusive vision.

Although the construction of the homes is scheduled for 2024 and its completion is not expected until 2026, the project has already been underway since March, with the formation of a participation commission made up of members of Sostre Cívic and the TEB Group. This commission is working in collaboration with the architects to establish the general aspects of the project and define the necessary design.

From the months of September and October 2023, registrations will open to join the driving group of the project, which will be the future neighbors of the building. The driving group will participate in decision-making related to the executive plan, the award of contracts and construction, the financial plan and the definition of the vision of the project. To be part of this group, it will be necessary to be a member of Sostre Cívic (applications will be ordered according to seniority as a member), be registered in Barcelona and be registered in the register of applicants for official housing.