Face lift for Plaa de les Glries.

22 Mar, 2006

The Barcelona city council has announced a major redevelopment project to transform the Plaa de les Glries into a 19-hectare park. The central lanes of the Gran Via, which currently rings the Plaa, are to go underground and a public transport interchange node is to be built linking the existing Line 1 Metro stop with a new tram stop and Renfe and Ferrocarril railway stations. A new car park is under construction at the nearby Glries commercial centre, which will eventually replace the existing Metro-Park car park in the centre of the square. 1,200 new homes are to be built on land freed up by the restructuring and the popular Encants Vells flea market will be moved to the adjacent Avenida Meridiana. The Barcelona city councils plan to create a new city centre at the Plaa de les Glries is a return to Eixamples original layout, designed by architect Ildefons Cerd in 1859.