• 5 min de lectura
• 5 min de lectura
July 23, 2026
July 23, 26.
The Santander City Council and the Port Authority held a new meeting of the Permanent Port-City Forum, chaired by the mayor, Gema Igual, and the president of the Port Authority, César Díaz. In this meeting, both institutions reviewed the actions carried out to date and coordinated the upcoming projects that will continue to transform the city's waterfront, complete a continuous route along the bay, and configure an urban port district integrated into the city's fabric.
The meeting, held at the City Council, was also attended by the Councilor for Development, Agustín Navarro; the director of the Port Authority, Santiago Díaz; and technicians from both administrations.
During the meeting, the significant progress made in Port-City integration in recent years was highlighted, a result of stable institutional collaboration that is allowing the recovery of spaces for public enjoyment, improving mobility, strengthening economic activity, and bringing the city closer to its port and the bay closer to its residents.
“The Permanent Port-City Forum continues to demonstrate that institutional collaboration and loyalty yield concrete results. We are seeing how projects that were merely aspirations a few years ago are now a reality, and at the same time, we continue to promote new actions that will complete the transformation of Santander's waterfront,” highlighted the mayor.
For his part, César Díaz emphasized that the coordinated work between both administrations allows for the development of a shared vision for the city. “The Forum is consolidating as a useful and effective instrument to transform the waterfront through shared projects that improve mobility, accessibility, economic activity, and urban quality, always based on dialogue and institutional cooperation,” he stated.
An increasingly integrated waterfront
During the meeting, the status of the main actions that make up the transformation of Santander's waterfront was reviewed.
Regarding the recovery of the Gamazo dune, the project has already been drafted and is in the processing phase for the tender of the works.
Works to improve access to the Port via Antonio López are also progressing, with completion scheduled for the last quarter of the year. This action will allow for compatibility between public use and port activity through a new access control to the Maliaño Docks and their surroundings, improving security, accessibility, and the urban image of one of the main accesses to the city. It also includes the renovation of the roundabout and connections with Marqués de la Ensenada and Sotileza, providing continuity to the remodeling already carried out on Antonio López street.
The Forum also analyzed the project for the extension of the promenade between Antonio López and the Fishing Quarter, via Marqués de la Ensenada. The City Council already has the drafted project and will now begin its administrative processing for approval and subsequent tender.
Another project that will give new impetus to the waterfront will be the improvement of the urbanization of the Puertochico breakwater, whose award is expected in the coming days with the aim of starting works once summer ends.
Furthermore, after the summer period, rehabilitation works will begin on the stairs located next to Los Raqueros, intended for the docking of boats that provide maritime passenger transport between Santander, Pedreña, and Somo. The action will involve an investment of 510,000 euros and will improve both the operational efficiency of the service and the accessibility of this waterfront enclave.
Regarding the future La Marga park-and-ride facility, an infrastructure designed to reinforce sustainable mobility and offer a new parking area linked to city access and the port front, the City Council has already contracted the drafting of the preliminary project which, along with the geotechnical study of the plot, are two necessary preliminary actions to continue advancing its development.
In addition, the mayor has insisted on the urgent need for the Ministry to specify the execution schedule for the second Gamazo breakwater, an essential action to develop the last pending section of the waterfront up to Los Peligros and enable a continuous multi-kilometer promenade along the bay, one of the great objectives of the Port-City integration, as well as to guarantee the stability of the beach system.
Permanent Port-City Forum
The Permanent Port-City Forum is the first to be established within the state system of ports of general interest. It meets quarterly and constitutes the stable coordination body between the Santander City Council and the Port Authority to promote strategic projects, strengthen integration between both institutions, and ensure joint planning of actions affecting the waterfront, consolidating a pioneering model of institutional collaboration within the Spanish port system.
