1ST CHAPTER - THE 'PLA DELTA' (APRIL 1994)

1) On April 16th 1994 the 'Pla Delta' was signed and among the actions it called for it also contemplated the possibility of expanding the Barcelona airport.

A) What is the 'Pla Delta'?

B) Was the expansion of the airport necessary?

C) Why did ecologists oppose the plan ?

A) WHAT IS THE 'PLA DELTA' ?

	It is the name by which 'The Cooperation Agreement on Llobregat Delta Infrastructures and Environment' is popularly known. It was signed on April 16th 1994 in El Prat de Llobregat among the various administrations involved in this issue:
The then named Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Environment (Ministerio de Obras Públicas, Transporte y Medio Ambiente - MOPTMA) The Autonomous Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) The Regional Delegation of Baix Llobregat (Consell Comarcal del Baix Llobregat) The Commonwealth of Metropolitan Towns (Mancomunitat de Municipis de l'Àrea Metropolitana) The City Hall of El Prat de Llobregat The City Hall of Barcelona

This agreement established a series of future plans and projects whose objective would be to convert this geographic area into the main central distributor of Southern Europe by means of the construction of a logistical platform. This location would become a key element to the economic development of Catalonia as well as a strategic zone within the European Union. The agreement would also guarantee, as well as increase, the landscape and environmental value of the delta and surrounding areas.

With this in mind the 'Pla' seeks to take advantage of the synergies of the great port and airport installations as well as the potential connections with the road and rail networks -all of them located within the Barcelona area, which continues to be the leading industrial zone in Spain-. Its ultimate goal is to strengthen the area as a point of reference within the framework of the Mediterranean and Southern Europe.

The main anticipated plans of action are the following:

- The expansion of the Barcelona Port  - The expansion of the Barcelona airport  - The expansion of Ronda Litoral  - Construction of the South Leg  - Diversion of the Llobregat River  - Construction of a large purifier  - Regeneration of the coast  - Improvement of the rail network

Balance de las obras del PLAN DELTA publicado por el Departamento de Política Territorial (2001)

Noticia publicada en el diario AVUI el 12 de Febrero de 2004

Mapa de las obras del Plan Delta	Estado de las obras (october 2004)

B) WAS THE EXPANSION OF THE AIRPORT NECESSARY ?

The growth rates of the Barcelona airport allowed one to foresee its rapid saturation since its traffic doubled in the 1990's.

In 1999 it was Spain's third busiest airport with 17.4 million travelers while maintaining itself among the top 15 International airports in Europe. It was undertaking 52 operations per hour and it was anticipated that it could achieve a maximum of 54 operations per hour with approximately 21 to 23 million travelers between 2002 and 2004.

C) WHY DID ECOLOGISTS OPPOSE THE 'PLA DELTA' ?

Since the creation of the 'Pla Delta', ecological groups of Baix Llobregat have strongly manifested their opposition to it presenting alternative plans and participating in all sorts of demonstrations and protest activities.

In this document you can familiarize yourself with the details of their argument:

- Arguments Ecologistes contra el Pla Delta