Council Decisions Shape Eixample's New Urban Regulations

Barcelona City Council approved a one-year suspension of new business licenses for restaurants, bars, and musical entertainment venues in Eixample's pacified streets, including Consell de Cent, Rocafort, and Borrell, to protect local commerce and prevent gentrification. This step follows earlier efforts to reshape how the district handles commercial density and public use.

Origins of the License Measures

The suspension emerged after the district identified risks to existing businesses from unchecked new openings along transformed streets. Council records show the move targets pacified areas where pedestrian priorities already limit vehicle access. Officials linked the policy to preserving neighbourhood character rather than allowing rapid shifts in commercial mix.

Superilla Barcelona as Foundation

The Superilla Barcelona project set the stage by planning 21 green streets and 21 new squares across Eixample. Work on the first four axes, Consell de Cent, Girona, Rocafort and Borrell, was scheduled to begin in June. These changes created pedestrian-first zones that later required rules to control how many venues could operate nearby.

Special Use Plan Details

The new Special Use Plan introduced density limits that allow a maximum of five premises within 50 metres and 18 within 100 metres. It also restricts audio-musical activities to streets wider than 25 metres. These rules grew out of the same planning process that produced the Superilla transformations, aiming to avoid overcrowding once streets became more walkable.

Tourism and Service Responses

The Eixample District submitted the Sagrada Familia Massive Attraction Action Plan to the Ward Council to manage tourist flows, improve public spaces and reclaim areas for community activities. Separately, a new Service for Attention, Recovery and Reception centre for gender-based violence victims is due to open before summer on Muntaner Street to decongest services for three high-impact districts. Both initiatives reflect ongoing work to balance visitor pressure with resident needs.

These measures reflect a sequence of decisions that began with street redesigns and moved toward tighter commercial and service controls. The district continues to implement the plans already approved, with further adjustments expected as the first axes of the Superilla project take shape.