The Full Council has provisionally approved the urban plan for the Antic Teatre to become publicly owned. The plan completed the final municipal procedure with votes from the city government, the ERC, JxCat, Cs, Valents and the independent councillor, Marilén Barceló, while the PP abstained. The last step before final approval sees the project go before the Barcelona Sub-Commission for Urban Planning, a body answering to the Government of Catalonia.
The continuity of the Antic Teatre, a key venue in the cultural and community fabric in the neighbourhood, is guaranteed through the approval of the final municipal procedure for the building to come under public ownership. The amendment to the MPGM will enable the ground floor and first floor of the building to be reclassified as a cultural facility, and in parallel the process to expropriate and purchase the theatre will begin. The homes on the upper floors and the commercial premises on the ground floor will be maintained, with no changes in ownership.
The theatre is celebrating its twentieth anniversary in the neighbourhood this year. Over the last two decades it has become firmly established as a local space for experimentation, a meeting place for culture and local people.
Once purchased, the Antic Teatre will form part of the network of culture houses in the city, which includes other facilities acquired by Barcelona City Council such as El Molino and the Teatre Arnau.