Barcelona restarts CEM La Sagrera tender after invalid award ruling

Barcelona restarted the CEM La Sagrera concession after the Catalan Public Sector Contracts Tribunal found the previous tender invalid. Residents of La Sagrera and nearby streets will wait longer for the two outdoor pools, gym spaces and paddle courts planned for Carrer de Bonaventura Gispert, 37-47.

The new tender will incorporate the changes ordered by the tribunal, which ruled that the earlier economic conditions effectively excluded non-profit clubs. Barcelona must now decide whether its municipal fitness network can still accommodate traditional community clubs while keeping the project financially viable.

Barcelona’s project page lists 3,927 square meters and two outdoor pools, a solarium of more than 1,000 square meters, three activity rooms, a weight room, a spinning room, two paddle courts, a meeting space with bar and common services, and almost 500 square meters of green space. The same page puts the concession at more than 42 million euros and the winning operator’s investment at more than 4 million euros in the facility itself.

Barcelona sports department materials put completion in 2025, while the relaunch now places opening in the second quarter of 2026 or around mid-2026. The city’s June 2024 budget for the combined works at CEM La Sagrera and CEM Espronceda was 16,327,244.08 euros including VAT.

The project is being developed alongside CEM Espronceda as part of Sant Andreu’s broader neighborhood push, with Barcelona also tying La Sagrera to future housing, green space and economic activity around the district’s larger urban transformation. Municipal plans include residual-heat recovery, photovoltaic generation, efficient rainwater use and a goal of LEED certification. A second phase would add a retractable roof and climate control so the pools can be used year-round.