Changes are planned to the regulation of new food establishments and wholesalers, bringing them in line with the conditions that currently apply to retailers. The goal is to resolve one of the shortcomings detected in the application of current regulations, where some retail activity was being carried out in wholesale food establishments.

The changes also include a review of the opening of supermarkets with more than 400 square metres of floor space. The proposal is to apply the same conditions as those for the rest of food stores operating the same way and with less than 399 square metres of floor space, where restrictions already apply in the most congested areas to avoid them being concentrated in the same locations.

The regulation will also include restrictions on craft bakeries, as in recent years there have been cases where these operating licences have been used to open pizzerias or take-away food outlets.

In parallel to these changes, the district envisages changes to incentivise cultural and sports activities, strengthening the neighbourhood fabric and keeping a sustainable balance between economic activities geared towards visitors and the rights of local residents.

The hope is for the amendments to the district usage plan to get final approval within four months. For the moment, a temporary suspension has been decreed for the epigraphs corresponding to the activities affected by the new restrictions.

Pioneering district

Ciutat Vella became a pioneering district by drafting the first usage plan in the city in 1992. Since then, the plan has been updated in line with the transformations and new realities in the city.

Approved in 2018, the current usage plan is the sixth for Ciutat Vella and covers the whole district except La Rambla. The plan was produced to address the saturation in the area and respond to the current needs of local people so that they do not feel forced out by the monoculture of tourist uses and the noise pollution resulting from the concentration of nightlife.