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The Ayuntamiento wants to protect iconic shops with a fund
Barcelona is considering a new approach to try to stop the disappearance of its historic shops. The Ayuntamiento wants to set up a fund that would allow the purchase of iconic premises when they go up for sale and there is a risk they might change their activity or end up closing for good.
The proposal, put forward by Mayor Jaume Collboni, involves opening a debate with the Generalitat before the end of the year on creating a right of first refusal and withdrawal for this type of establishment. The idea is that public authorities can intervene before the properties pass into the hands of other buyers.
The objective focuses especially on commercial thoroughfares most exposed to property pressure and tourism. In these areas, many traditional businesses have disappeared in recent years because they could not afford rising rents or because the premises were sold to new operators.
The plan is not limited to buying properties. The PSC municipal group will also bring a proposal to the plenary session calling on the central government to amend the Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos so that rents for local shops and establishments considered emblematic can be regulated.
The intention is to introduce tools similar to those existing in other areas to prevent rent increases from forcing businesses with decades of history to close. The Ayuntamiento maintains that the continuity of these establishments depends, in many cases, more on the price of the premises than on how the business is doing.
Collboni considers that use plans have served to organise part of commercial activity, but have not prevented the disappearance of traditional shops. He therefore proposes combining urban planning with new measures for economic and heritage protection.
The proposal comes at a time when numerous traders’ associations are warning of the constant replacement of businesses in neighbourhoods such as the Gòtic, the Born, the Eixample and Gràcia. The loss of historic establishments is a concern both for their economic value and for the role they play in each neighbourhood’s identity.
The project still needs legal changes and agreements between different administrations before it becomes a reality. The measure leaves open a debate over how far public intervention should go to preserve traditional commerce in a city where property pressure continues to transform the urban landscape.