The promoters of the Hard Rock project in Salou must be very concerned about the delay of the plan, but on the other hand, they must be more than satisfied with the publicity they have been obtaining for years due to the disputes of Catalan politicians. Hard Rock has become a myth of political negotiation. In fact, at this moment the 43,673 million euros that represent the total of the Generalitat’s budget for this year are in the eaves because of him. As you know, on the one hand, the PSC demanded the completion of the project to agree the accounts with ERC, while, on the other, the common members warned that they would vote against them if it were included in this year’s exercise. Without the support of the formation led by Jéssica Albiach, the Government does not have enough votes to push them forward. So some are pulling on one side and others on the other, and in the center is the Hard Rock, illuminated as a key factor in the well-being of Catalonia.
The complex is the son of an embryonic Eurovegas, promoted by the magnate Sheldon Adelson, whose first location was in Viladecans and also affected the natural spaces of Remolar and Murtra, in El Prat, the ponds that are today under discussion for the expansion of the airport. Imagine, if today it is not accepted to lengthen the third runway, which would have meant putting casinos in the wetlands… Then the current location in Salou, near Port Aventura, was considered to convert the area into a large tourist center. Since 2012, the project has been paralyzed due to complaints about environmental risks. The TSJC of Catalonia overturned the master plan in 2020 so that it was better adapted to climate coexistence. And in October 2022, it was the Generalitat itself that issued an unfavorable environmental report.
Those responsible for the project have reformulated their proposal to adapt it to all these requirements and the Government is now running out of time to process it, as Àlex Tort explains today in the Politics section. Esquerra has never been enthusiastic about the project, but neither has he dared to oppose it like the commoners do. We will clear up the doubts shortly. It would be striking that hard rock was draining budgets.
