Barcelona City Council has told Línia Xarxa that the abandoned former General Bus Company garages at Roc Boronat 99–115 in Poblenou will be refurbished to host civic and cultural activities currently held at Can Felipa Civic Centre.

For Poblenou residents and organisations using Can Felipa, the plan means many activities will move out permanently while the adjoining CEM Can Felipa, a municipal sports centre, is renovated and expanded. The theatre is due to remain in the historic Can Felipa building, with its own entrance separate from the sports complex.

The Roc Boronat building has stood unused since 2007. Built in 1928, it forms part of the 22@ redevelopment area in Sant Martí.

Two buildings proposed for relocated activities

The council's plan, as reported by Línia Xarxa, involves refurbishing two Poblenou properties for projects and groups linked to the civic centre:

  • Roc Boronat 99–115, the former bus garages, which are expected to be remodelled during the next municipal term.
  • La Granota, Pallars 217, another building proposed for rehabilitation to accommodate Can Felipa-related activities and organisations.

The changes are linked to a major renovation announced by the council at the end of 2025 for CEM Can Felipa. The sports centre is planned to take over two additional floors of the building, while its swimming pool will be fully rebuilt and enlarged.

Neighbourhood association disputes the relocation plan

The Poblenou Neighbourhood Association said it welcomed the recovery of the Roc Boronat building after years of neglect, but opposed the wider reorganisation of Can Felipa.

“It is a makeshift solution, a consequence of the remodelling of Can Felipa, which we do not agree with,” said Joan Maria Soler of the Poblenou Neighbourhood Association.

Association member Jaume Badenes said enlarging the pool was a neighbourhood demand, but argued it should not be carried out at the expense of the civic and social uses in the same building. The association also said groups connected with Can Felipa had not been adequately involved in deciding their future premises.

The building had previously been earmarked for the Casa de les Lletres del Poblenou, a planned city-wide book-sector centre. Jaume Collboni, then Barcelona's deputy mayor for Business, Culture and Innovation, announced that proposal in April 2017, with an opening forecast for 2019. The project was later halted and, in March 2023, the council said it had been dropped.

Residents and organisations awaiting the move have no published opening date for the refurbished Roc Boronat and La Granota sites in the material reported by Línia Xarxa.

Reported by liniaxarxa.cat, Línia Xarxa.