Sant Julià de Lòria Opens Revamped Prat del Senzill Park After €750,000 Upgrade

Sant Julià de Lòria marked the official opening of its renovated Prat del Senzill park on Saturday with a lively community event, drawing hundreds of residents after a €750,000 overhaul that transformed the site following 20 years without major updates.

The celebration near the Fontaneda bridge kicked off with a symbolic futsal match pitting communal authorities against youth councillors, where Cònsol Menor Sofia Cortesao netted several goals alongside Joan Malea, Marc Ferré, and Sandra de la Rosa. Attendees enjoyed basketball sessions run by the Andorran Basketball Federation, soap bubble and face-painting workshops, a puppet show titled Els músics de Bremen by Xip Xap company, a chocolate coca breakfast, cotton candy, popcorn, and a pump track clinic led by Bike Aventura. Rangers assisted in the opening match, contributing to a morning focused on sport, leisure, and family bonding.

Cortesao, who personally shaped the design by marking up communal plans with correction fluid and watercolours, described the outcome as a triumph. "Today is a happy day, because in the end it's a space claimed by all Lauredians. Having a green space nearby, an intergenerational living area, a safe space close to nature with shade, I think it's ideal," she said. The project originated from youth demands for a pump track and expanded to feature separate futsal and basketball courts, a zip line, secure play structures including rope pyramids, wooden frames, slides and swings, expansive lawns, pétanque courts, and shaded picnic tables. Operational on a trial basis for about a month, the park has drawn daily crowds and received overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Youth councillors expressed delight, with Luana praising the picnic tables for family meals before playtime, and Jana valuing the natural, worry-free environment for fun. "All the feedback we've received is more than positive. Sincerely, I think it's for things like this that one joins the comú—and others too, but these make you happy," Cortesao noted.

Despite its location away from the town centre and unchanged footprint, the redesigned layout maximises usable space with a stronger emphasis on greenery and shade. The comú plans a small upgrade to the sports zone at the central Prat Gran park before the current term ends, following a previous €400,000 children's area renovation. Longer-term goals include a buried car park and raising the site to align with nearby Berger and Canòlic buildings, though current priorities like Plaça Germandat take precedence.