The Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation, signed the deed of incorporation of the right of superficies on two properties located in the districts of Sant Martí and Ciutat Vella. The first property is located at c. Binèfar, 26 and is established in favor of the cooperative FEM CIUTAT, SCCL, while the second is located at c. Sant Martí, 12-16, and is assigned to the SALAS Foundation and the Nou Lloc Foundation.
The transfer of land to the FEM CIUTAT, SCCL cooperative will allow the development of a promotion of 46 official protection homes for rent in the district of Sant Martí in the city.
On their part, the Fundació Privada Salas per l’Accessibilitat and the Fundació Nou Lloc Habitatge Social, established as a joint venture, will manage the land located in El Raval, with a total of 43 social housing units for rent.
In practical terms, the agreement, formalized at the Barcelona City Council, allows the winning entity to enjoy the right to use the land for 99 years, assuming the construction cost of the building.
Development of the ESAL Agreement
Signed in 2020 between the City Council and the main federations of cooperatives and social housing foundations, the ESAL Agreement is a pioneering mechanism for cooperation with the third sector, in which public land is assigned to non-profit organizations and the transfer of land. This promotes the construction and renovation of subsidized housing for rental and transfer of the right of use (cohousing) through the constitution of surface rights. This is a tool that boosts the growth of the public housing stock, while diversifying the range of agents involved.
The Agreement is therefore an alliance between the Barcelona City Council and the Federació de Cooperatives d’Habitatges de Catalunya (FCHC), the Coordinadora de Fundacions d’Habitatge Social (Cohabitac), the Associació Xarxa d’Economia Solidària (XES) and the Associació de Gestors de Polítiques Socials d’Habitatge de Catalunya (GHS).