Pedro Sánchez has renewed his housing pledge in Barcelona. The Illa Siberia project keeps public land under municipal ownership while expanding affordable rentals.
Illa Siberia has 42 affordable rental homes on Badajoz Street in Poblenou, near Vila Olímpica. Pedro Sánchez visited the development during his Barcelona trip and met people selected to live there.
The project sits on a former industrial site in Sant Martí. Barcelona City Council used a model in which a third party develops the buildings while the municipality keeps the land. The arrangement runs through a 75-year right of surface use.
After that period, the homes become part of Barcelona's municipal public housing stock. The land stays public.
Illa Siberia comprises 42 affordable rental homes on Badajoz Street in Poblenou, near Vila Olímpica. The apartments range from roughly 61 to 72 square metres, with monthly rents of about €429 to €502, plus utility costs.
The apartments range from roughly 61 to 72 square metres. Monthly rents run from about €429 to €502, plus utility costs.
Keys were handed over in July 2026. That gave Sánchez a finished project to point to, rather than a promise tied only to future planning.
During the tour, Sánchez was joined by Generalitat president Salvador Illa, Government delegate in Catalunya Carlos Prieto, and Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni. He visited one of the homes and met the successful applicants inside the blocks.
Sánchez said housing policy should put residential use ahead of tourism. He also called for more affordable rental homes.
The Housing Law allows autonomous communities to declare stressed areas. In those areas, the law permits rent limits where the measure applies. There are currently 317 stressed municipalities across five autonomous communities.
Barcelona is one of them. New rental prices in the city have fallen by 4.7% since Barcelona was declared a stressed area in 2024. That figure appears in the available reporting. The research material does not provide an independent confirmation.
The visit took place amid renewed mobilisation over housing policy in Barcelona. The Sindicat de Llogateres called for action on the same day, while RTVE reported a planned protest near the Palacio de Congresos.
The dispute reaches beyond Illa Siberia. An earlier housing report showed how the issue has become a central fight between the Government and the opposition. In Barcelona, the argument covers both the ownership of the homes and rent controls.
The national framework is also growing. The Government has allocated 7 billion euros to the State Housing Plan 2026-2030.
For the first time, the plan says homes financed with state funds cannot be declassified or privatised. The rule is intended to stop publicly supported housing from leaving the public system later.
Casa 47 brings another tool. The new State Housing Entity will have 13 billion euros to help build a public housing stock equal to 8%.
The policy combines more housing with rent rules and lasting public ownership. Illa Siberia puts that approach on the ground.
The visit was more than a ceremonial tour. It showed the model Sánchez wants to defend: build affordable homes while keeping control of the land and the housing created with public support.
National figures point to a wider effort. Illa Siberia gives it a physical example, with a clear ownership structure designed to last.
The Government is also seeking support for a new housing decree in the Council of Ministers. Sánchez urged political parties to make a final effort to approve it. He linked the Barcelona presentation to the wider push for national housing measures as pressure over rents and evictions continued.
