La Massana open to talks on Alt de la Capa viewpoint as opposition mobilises

The La Massana parish council has said it is open to discussing the location of the planned Alt de la Capa viewpoint, even as a citizen mobilisation against its construction is set to go ahead.

Major consul Eva Sansa told El Periòdic that she is willing to hear opponents and consider alternative sites, though she cautioned that agreement would be difficult if the position is outright rejection of the project. "From the parish council we are open to them coming to see us and, if it is a question of location, perhaps we can talk about it," she said. "But if it is already a flat no to anything, in the end we have to be aware that we live off tourism here in Andorra."

Sansa said she fully respects the dissenting voices that any major project attracts, but added that contact with the platform's organisers has been lacking. "What we have missed is a bit of contact with the promoters of this platform so we can talk about it," she said. She said she does not know who the platform's real interlocutor is, and acknowledged that no approach has yet taken place. The council's doors remain open, she added.

She also expressed frustration at the timing of the opposition. Asked why the pushback has intensified at this stage, she said: "The truth is yes," and linked it to the wider social climate, describing the council as "the tip of the iceberg of everything that is happening today."

Sansa set out a timeline for the project, saying work began in 2024 on what was initially a simpler proposal at the Coll de la Botella, which was declared void after no bidder came forward. The council then opted for a more ambitious, tourism-oriented scheme, and in November 2025 launched a call for ideas that drew two proposals; one was discarded and the other selected.

On the chosen site, she said a viewpoint cannot sit at the bottom of a valley, and that the location was picked because infrastructure already exists there — a ski lift about 80 metres away and a cable car at roughly 150 metres. "We chose this location because there are already installations there," she said, adding that the mountain is not a genuinely green one.

Sansa also stressed the tourism case for the project, noting that visitors to Andorra often cite the Tibetan bridge or Roc del Quer, and arguing that La Massana needs attractions of its own. "We have to look after our parish and we know the viewpoint is something people like. And if we can make a route of viewpoints, why not?" she said.

Separately, minor consul Roger Fité has acknowledged that the council could have communicated the project's purpose and the reasons for siting a viewpoint there more effectively. He said the council must listen to the different positions being voiced, and declined to rule out any outcome when asked whether the project could be abandoned. "For now it is neither a yes nor a no," he said.