The Mataró City Council, PUMSA and El Corte Inglés have reached a preliminary agreement to resolve the litigation over the central Illa de Can Fàbregas i de Caralt. The operation, valued at 11.7 million euros, will allow the council to regain ownership of the 9,629 m² site.
The Mataró City Council, the municipal company Promocions Urbanístiques de Mataró (PUMSA) and El Corte Inglés have finalised a preliminary settlement agreement that ends over fifteen years of judicial and urban conflict surrounding the Illa de Can Fàbregas i de Caralt. The agreement, which is expected to be ratified by the municipal plenary in September, stipulates that the department store company will transfer full ownership of the property to the council, located between Carrers de Miquel Biada, Ronda de la República, Josep Maria Torrijos and Passatge de Torrijos.
The agreed price amounts to 11,713,000 euros, plus the corresponding VAT, which the City Council will cover from its budgets. According to municipal sources, the amount aligns with the current appraised value of the property, confirmed by the council's technical services. The operation includes the transfer of a 9,629 square metre plot of land, with a maximum buildable area of 26,576 square metres, primarily designated for tertiary uses.
The agreement sets a deadline of 31 December 2026 to formalise the sale through a public deed, although the parties may agree to an extension if necessary. Once the administrative procedures are completed, the City Council will regain control of a space considered strategic for the urban and economic transformation of central Mataró, particularly regarding mobility and commercial development.
The conflict dates back to January 2012, when PUMSA and El Corte Inglés formalised a contract under which the company acquired the property following a public tender, for a price of 24 million euros, with the aim of building a large shopping centre. The contract included the segregation of land, concessions to the City Council, and the granting of the subsoil for a 600-space car park. As part of the process, PUMSA dismantled the listed industrial building that gave the plot its name, along with two structures and a chimney, to hand over the site free to El Corte Inglés.
A citizens' platform opposed the dismantling and took the case to court, which years later ruled in favour of the residents and required the City Council to reconstruct the building in its original location. The dismantled pieces are stored in a municipal depot and, according to recent reports, are in optimal condition to be reassembled. The City Council has already begun work to comply with the ruling and reconstruct the building in the same place.
In November 2023, El Corte Inglés filed a lawsuit against PUMSA seeking the annulment of the 2012 contract or, alternatively, its resolution. In February 2025, the lawsuit was expanded to include the Mataró City Council. The judicial procedure was suspended in June 2026, at the joint request of the parties, after notifying the court of the existence of this preliminary agreement.
The settlement agreement closes the judicial route and opens the door for the City Council to decide the future use of the site. Municipal sources have indicated that, once the purchase and reconstruction of the building are completed, a public participation process will be opened to define the destination of the site. Among the options being considered are public facilities, green spaces, or commercial and tertiary uses that would invigorate the city centre. The expectation is that by the end of the year, the judicial chapter will be definitively closed and the council will be able to plan the action.
The Mayor of Mataró, David Bote, has described the agreement as "excellent news for the city" and highlighted that "we are reclaiming a key space for the future of Mataró, after years of litigation and blockages." For its part, sources from El Corte Inglés have expressed satisfaction at having reached a negotiated solution that "allows both parties to close this chapter and focus on their respective projects."
For the local residents, the news marks the end of a long period of uncertainty. The site, currently empty and fenced off, is a regular thoroughfare in the commercial axis connecting Plaza de España with the historic centre. The recovery of the space will eliminate an urban obstacle and improve pedestrian connectivity between the centre and the train station. Moreover, the reconstruction of the Can Fàbregas building will restore a heritage element that many considered lost to the neighbourhood.
The next step will be the approval of the agreement by the municipal plenary, scheduled for September. From there, the administrative procedures for the sale and reconstruction of the building will begin. The City Council estimates that the operation could be fully closed by the end of 2026, at which point the debate over the future of the site will commence.
You may also like
