Work on the second phase of improvements at Plaça de la Palmera in La Verneda i la Pau began in September, with the paving, pavements and selected street furniture now due to be renewed.

For residents and people using the square in Barcelona's Sant Martí district, the project is intended to remove uneven surfaces and make moving through the public space easier and safer. The works, managed by Barcelona Municipal Infrastructure (BIMSA), have a budget of €1 million and are expected to finish in the first quarter of 2027.

Paving will be reused and treated against slipping

The existing cobblestones will be removed, treated and reinstalled in the same area rather than replaced entirely with new material. They will receive an anti-slip treatment.

  • Sidewalks and cobblestone surfaces will be renewed to correct irregularities.
  • Some benches and bollards will be upgraded.
  • Stone-and-sand permeable strips between trees will allow rainwater to enter the ground.

The scheme includes measures to protect the roots of the square's pine trees during construction. Tree pits will also be enlarged to give the trees more room to develop.

Play area renovation has already been completed

The paving phase follows the completed overhaul of the children's play area, which was expanded and reorganised to about 16.5 by 21.75 metres. That earlier work had a €350,000 budget.

New play equipment and safety rubber surfacing have replaced the former sandstone surface. An accessible route from the Andrade street pavement, made with permeable concrete, now leads to the play area.

The square's existing layout, pine trees, original paving and Richard Serra's sculpture El Muro are intended to be retained. The work forms part of Barcelona's Pla Endreça maintenance programme, which the City Council expects to deliver more than 3,000 urban maintenance, renewal and transformation actions by the end of 2027, with an overall budget of €435 million.

The paving works are scheduled to continue until the first quarter of 2027.

Reported by barnadiario.com, Barna Diario.