La Seu d'Urgell Rejects €6M Purchase of Iconic Guiu Cinema

La Seu d'Urgell city council has rejected a joint motion from opposition parties Junts and ERC to purchase the iconic Guiu cinema and concert hall building, citing a total cost of €6 million—half for acquisition and half for renovations.

Owners of the venue, which includes cinemas, a party hall, and five residential flats, are seeking retirement and have been negotiating a sale with the council. Mayor Joan Barrera revealed the price during the plenary session, where Compromís voted against the motion and CUP abstained. Junts spokesperson Jordi Fàbrega said the debate at least brought concrete figures to light on an issue that had long hovered unresolved. Esquerra Republicana's Francesc Viaplana argued for preserving the site as part of the city's cultural heritage and collective memory, noting the flats could expand public housing stock.

Barrera left room for further talks but emphasised competing priorities, with the city facing up to €40 million in committed investments, mainly from the Catalan government and Lleida provincial council. He described the owners' negotiation tactics as aggressive, a point echoed by CUP's Miquel Albero.

Instead, the plenary approved transferring two other buildings—Ca l'Armenter (also called Canonges) and the former courts at Pati Palau—to the Generalitat for €8.5 million in rehabilitation work. This will house Catalan government offices as part of its territorial rollout. The Pati Palau site, formerly the Graduades schools and courts, will cost €5 million to refurbish, with the remainder for Ca l'Armenter. Viaplana had suggested consolidating all Generalitat services in one location, but Barrera noted space requirements of up to 25 square metres per person.

Fàbrega urged against any decision—active or passive—that could lead to future regrets, warning the city might otherwise lose its cinemas, party hall, and potential theatre-auditorium.

The session also marked the farewell for long-serving secretary Ramon Miñambres ahead of his retirement on 18 September, after 40 years of service, including 33 with the council. Barrera praised him as the "guarantor of legality" and institutional memory, with former mayor Jordi Ausàs among those attending.

Other measures passed included a procedure to build direct access to Castellciutat from the N-260 road, and a revised Junts motion for better bus services to universities and schools, following negotiations with the government team. Esquerra's Núria Tomàs quipped that while Catalonia frets over trains, the Pyrenees feel more neglected.