Clot-Glories | Properties Clot-Glories | Barcelona Buyers
The areas of Clot and the adjacent Glories are probably amongst the least known of the district of Sant Marti.
However, if you are an investor, do not discard these areas as they are getting more and more interesting.
Clot is a residential area that borders the areas of Sagrada Familia and Poble Nou. It is mainly inhabited by local Catalan families. People are exceptionally friendly in Clot. It is very easy to start a conversation with everyone and to be stopped in the street by someone who want to compliment you on your kid, or dog, or anything else that can attract attention.
As it does not feature any landmarks, Clot is not a tourist destination. However, it is the home of several hotels that are constantly full thanks to the excellent transport links and quick connection to the centre.
Clot is one of the best connected areas of Barcelona, with three main underground lines (line 1 that crosses the whole city passing through Plaza Catalunya and Plaza de Espanya, line 2 that goes straight to Paseo de Gracia, and line 5 that goes towards the North of the city); plenty of bus lines that reach all the other parts of the city; and a train station (Clot-Arago) with trains that reach many destinations on the coasts and go directly to the international airport (in 30 minutes). From Clot it is possible to walk to the Sagrada Familia while Paseo de Gracia can be reached in a few minute bus or tube ride.
Additionally, the new international station that will soon open at Sagrera, is at walking distance (or two stops with L1).
For those who travel by car, the Avenida Meridiana allows to reach Clot and to leave Barcelona very quickly, without wasting time in the local street traffic.
All this makes Clot a very interesting area for tourists, who can enjoy a quieter environment and a close connection to the main landmarks of the city; and also for medium-term flat rentals that works well thanks to the good offer of shops, the excellent transport, and the proximity to the university around the Sant Pau hospital.
Clot is a very old part of Barcelona. Already active as a Medieval village, it became a very rich area by supplying goods to the city, in particular a very high quality honey. It was known as “Clot de Miel” for the large amount of honey produced here. Later, it developed into a centre of textile factories and windmills. This made some of the locals quite wealthy and in the old part of Clot, it is still possible to see nice houses from the end of the 19th Century/beginning of the 20th.
If you are lucky enough to find one of these properties, do not miss the opportunity. Being able to live in an independent house so close to the centre of Barcelona is definitely a privilege!
The area offers plenty of large supermarkets mixed to local proximity shops that still survive.
Clot has a nice pedestrian centre, along Calle Rogent. Here you can find the local market (Mercado del Clot, covered since the 19th century but active for hundredths of years), several cafes with outdoor terraces, and plenty of bakeries, greengrocers, pet shops, small grocery shops, and much more.
If you fancy shopping on a larger scale, you can reach the Glories shopping centre in a few minute walk (more on Glories afterwards).
The Parc del Clot is an interesting place to see if you happen to be in the area. It was created towards the end of the 19th Century and it was originally used as a garage of the Spanish train company during the construction of the railway lines. Today it still features the remains of its industrial past, including a long aqueduct with cascade of waters.
The adjacent area of Glories was until recently only known for the shopping centre and the for the famous Agbar Tower.
Despite the resemblance with Sir Norman Foster’s City of London “Gherkin”, the creator of the Agbar Tower (French architect Jean Nouvel) claimed to have found inspiration in the most famous Catalan symbols: the towers of the Sagrada Familia and the pinnacle of the Montserrat mountain.
The tower was bought by a famous hotel chain with the project to turn it into a 5 star GL hotel but the idea was then abandoned due to the high costs involved and the current problems with hotel licenses. Merlin Properties bought the tower at the end of 2016, and after different changes, it will be dedicated to office spaces, including for new offices for facebook.
This will further develop Glories as business centre of Barcelona. The area features many modern office buildings, hotels with business centre facilities, and the proximity to the @22 technological hub.
The Glories shopping centre is a 250,000 m2 space that includes 166 shops, parking for 3,000 vehicles, plenty or restaurants and cafes, and a multi-screen cinema.
What makes Glories an even more interesting area now, is its renovation project that is scheduled to be completed by 2020.
The project includes several major changes. The traffic of the large avenues that cross here (Avenida Meridiana, Gran Via and Avenida Diagonal) will be redirected underground.
The area already features the new Museum of Design, and the New Encants, the oldest flee market of the city (over 700 years old!) that has been moved to the new structure.
But the most important change will be the creation of a new 140,000 m2 park that will be one of the largest of the city. The park will include different areas dedicated to sport, leisure, shows, and learning spaces. Some of the adjacent historical buildings (old factories) will be refurbished and incorporated in the park (project pictured below – Source: Ayuntamiento de Barcelona).
All these changes will positively affect the value of the properties in Glories and Clot, so, if you are an investor looking for up and coming areas, keep an eye on this part of the city.
The Properties in Clot-Glories
As mentioned above, there are still some properties of historical value surviving in Clot: some buildings from the early XX Century, and some beautiful houses from the same period.
Apart from this, the vast majority of the buildings are fairly recent and have developed over the past 40-50 years. The usual property in Clot is a residential building with lift, balcony, and the modern distribution of the current development blocks. It is also easy to find parking spaces within the same building or nearby (to purchase or rent).
In Glories, properties are even more modern, with several buildings erected over the past 20 years.
This is a very good residential solution for people who do not like to live in areas overcrowded with tourists but who want to be able to easily reach every other part of the city in a few minutes.
Prices in Clot-Glories
The average price per m2 in the district of Sant Marti has slightly increased over the past year (source Habitaclia, October 2019).
The current price per m2 of 4.788,38 € is the average of the prices in all the areas of the Sant Martin district, which includes higher prices in Poblenou, Vila Olimpica, and especially Diagonal Mar, and lower prices in the other areas.
In Clot, it is possible to find prices below the average of the district. A property in one of the residential building blocks can have a price per m2 of around 3.500 €, less if it needs renovation. The most expensive properties, that go up to over 5.000 €/m2, are either penthouses, or other special properties, such as properties with a patio, or the old houses with terrace.
In Glories, prices increase more quickly and it is more usual to find renovated properties at an average of 4.500 €/m2.
In general, this is still an affordable area that is going to benefit from the constant improvements to the transport links and from the renovation of the Glories square. If you are planning an investment over a few years, you may want to have a look at some properties around here.
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