Barcelona hardens the standard to reduce souvenir stores and manicure premises in Ciutat Vella

Cannabic premises, mobile housings and manicure and pedicure stores remain in the spotlight of the Barcelona City Council for their very high concentration in some areas. The new use plan of the Ciutat Vella district, whose definitive approval will be made within a maximum period of one year, includes a provision that prohibits 20% of the economic activity of a new establishment being dedicated to the sale of a product linked to activities not admitted by the district. The measure aims to prevent new businesses from opening where souvenirs are ending or avoiding the proliferation of premises without any added value, according to the City Council. The road map of the ground floor shops, which replaces the 2018 plan, includes the four neighborhoods of the district and leaves out Laietana, La Rambla, the port area and the municipal markets, which will have a specific regulation. In all cases, the regulation will be based on density, the width of the road and dimension of the activity. The Fairs and Markets Law allows any establishment specializing in a product allocating 20% ​​of its trade to selling another different product, but the standard has become “an escape line to carry out the activities that are to be restricted,” explained Albert Batlle, councilor of Ciutat Vella on Friday. In total, the district has 3,102 shops, of which 288 are non -food non -food, most concentrated in the raval. The new plan includes a provision that specifically prohibits the establishment to allocate a part of its business to activities that are not admitted in the district. The second objective of the Plan is to turn the Rambla into a cultural axis and reinforce the commercial identity of the Via Laietana. To do this,, without conditions throughout the district, bookstores, art galleries, cinemas or cultural dissemination centers, with the exception of cultural activities with music that will require additional conditions to establish themselves. «We are aware that the use plan does not solve on its own the entire issue of the occupation of the public space, but it is about enhancing the activities that have an added value and limit those that do not provide any added value,» said Batlle. In total, the plan will regulate 180 epigraphs of activities that are classified into 13 activity groups and distributed in 3 levels. In this way, cultural activities or daily food trade would be admitted without conditions while private associative shows or activities would be admitted with certain conditions. The activities considered of a special nature such as the Bingo Games, the casinos, or sexual activities are out of the district.