The approval of the Plan of Uses of the port of Badalona managed by the company Marina Badalona S.A. It will allow an ambitious urban plan to be drawn up that will transform it into a new space of metropolitan centrality, whose epicenter will be the new navigable channel of the Gorg that will consolidate the new port district. This is the second phase of a project pending since 2003 that could conclude in 2028 with an estimated investment of around 30 million euros.
The transformation project of the Port of Badalona flees from the concept of elitist infrastructures and plans its conversion into a great citizen center. A space at the service of Badalona that will be the core of the new road connection between sea and mountains. The port will be the strategic axis that will unite the neighborhoods of Gorg, Montigalà, La Salut and the Polígono Sur. A key connectivity that will come together with the development of the Besòs area, a territory that has already begun the transformation of the Three Chimneys into a new residential and technological neighbourhood, of which the Digital, Audiovisual and Videogame Hub stands out, which will transmute a degraded space.
The new port is designed to be a center of economic development, with a great cultural and tourist display. “It will be a sustainable port focused on the blue economy” points out the manager of Marina Badalona S.A., Imanol Sanz. “We are connected to Barcelona in ten minutes” the manager points out to describe the accessibility of the port infrastructure, close “two metro lines from the future La Sagrera station” which aspires to be the new gateway to Europe.
In the tourist and cultural field, the port of Badalona will become a reference place for leisure. With the beaches and new recreational areas that will be concentrated on the north pier, between the Hotel Marina Badalona, ??the beach and the promenade. In this location, a multipurpose building will be built and new moorings will be set up for renewed nautical activities, such as charter boats or electric boats “that can be affordable for all audiences,” says Sanz.
Cruise ships and motor boats up to 25 meters in length will be located in the central port basin, connecting directly with the canal. continuity to the Rambla del Gorg which will be the new “street of the sea”. Six new restaurants and premises compatible with administrative and commercial uses, such as a gym, will be opened in this area. To the south of the canal they could even moor restaurant-barges like Parisians from the Seine River.
The channel will be 82 meters long and is planned to accommodate popular sailing, motor boats up to eight meters in length, similar to the channels of Empuriabrava (Girona). In this space, 200 new moorings will be generated, which will increase the capacity of the Port of Badalona, ??which currently stands at 668 vessels. Around the new navigable infrastructure, 2,700 homes are being built.
Industrial activity will also have a preponderant role in the new port uses. The maintenance and refit service, shipyards and dry dock will be expanded, which will double their capacity to 14,000 m2. In this location, the dry dock and the workshops will be set up that will be able to give classes to the dual vocational training students of the future Antoni Bori institute. “We will provide a service to a highly demanded specialized nautical training” reveals the manager. Companies and workshops that could be related to the industrial development of the Three Chimneys will be located at this location, since it will connect with the southern polygon, where there is already a demand for spaces for nautical companies.
In the area of ??La Mora beach, currently closed due to pollution, the sports and nautical leisure area will be concentrated. A nautical base that will serve sailing users throughout the year. Here a building will be erected that will function as a city facility related to the sea, the headquarters of the clubs and entities, the school of the sea and even a future maritime museum that could range from Roman navigation to the America’s Cup of Sailing.
In the dock, the central riverside pier, the current buildings will be transformed to generate 4,000 m2, for offices, technology centers, companies related to artificial intelligence, technology and knowledge, researchers from the nautical industry and various premises, such as workshops and businesses. New businesses and leisure establishments will be located on the ground floor of the buildings. “There are already companies in the university sector interested in the location” acknowledges the manager of Marina Badalona. In this area, a new building will house the fishermen’s market,
On the other hand, two new buildings will concentrate the restaurants. Next to La Mora beach, the installation of a “metropolitan projection” Beach Club is proposed, a center with swimming pools and services typical of a social club. The multi-purpose buildings will be able to host all kinds of activities such as concerts or conferences, where a large square will be created that will be a new attraction “a large balcony overlooking the sea”.
The future port will also be a new axis of connectivity once the viaduct and the underpass have been built on Tortosa street that will connect with the South polygon and that “will be at the foot of the tram” since, according to forecasts, a future stop of the Tram in Tortosa street
Currently, 500,000 vehicles a year use the Badalona Port road to connect directly with the Barcelona ring roads, taking advantage of the free service during the first 10 minutes of stay. A ruse that these drivers will no longer be able to use, who, on the other hand, will be able to have new parking lots. For a project of this magnitude to be successful, roads and the ease of parking vehicles are key. In this sense, the plan for uses of the Port of Badalona projects 1,225 parking spaces in five different locations: in the Moll Nord, next to the current Captaincy building, three more in the Gorg area parallel to the railway and one more around Tortosa street. With this, the new Port guarantees access for users and guarantees the rotation of vehicles inside.