The Associació de Veïns del Barri Vell has demanded that the reduction of terraces that the Ayuntamiento de Girona will apply shortly on the rambla de la Llibertat also extends to other points in the area, with special attention to the carrer de la Cort Reial and other especially strained spaces. The entity asks that the measure be executed immediately.
The neighbors ask to extend the reduction beyond the rambla
In a statement released this Monday, the association positively values the application of a regulation that it considers long-awaited, but maintains that the municipal action should not be limited to the rambla de la Llibertat. In its judgment, the reduction of outdoor tables and chairs has to reach other enclaves of the Barri Vell where the occupation of public space continues to be high.
The request comes after in the plenary session of April 20 the Councilor for Proximity Urban Planning, Lluís Martí, announced that the outdoor chairs and tables of the catering establishments of the rambla de la Llibertat will be cut back to gain space for pedestrians in the central promenade.
A measure foreseen in the 2023 ordinance
The reduction of terraces is framed within the ordinance approved in the autumn of 2023. From the municipal government, the deputy mayor and councilor for Economic Promotion, Gemma Geis, defended that the measure will also serve to give visibility to the shops in the surroundings.
From the hospitality sector, the president of the Associació d"Hostaleria, Turisme i Restauració, Xavier Garcia, pointed out that the reduction of the size of the terraces will be more relevant for the premises located to the left of the rambla, looking at the road from the Pont de Pedra, and less important for the establishments below the arches.
El Barri Vell denounces an intensive occupation of public space
The neighborhood association maintains that, after the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, an exceptional situation occurred with the expansion of terraces. The neighbors regret that this expansion was consolidated in some places beyond that emergency context.
According to what they state, that evolution resulted in an intensive occupation of space that has significantly affected mobility, accessibility, and quality of life in the Barri Vell. That is why they demand an effective reinforcement of the inspection, monitoring, and sanction mechanisms to ensure compliance with the regulations.
The neighborhood entity asks that the ordinance be applied rigorously and without exceptions, with priority for the citizen ahead of private occupation. It also links the recovery of the central promenade of the rambla de la Llibertat for pedestrians to a city model that places people, proximity commerce, and the quality of life of the neighborhood at the center.
The neighbors demand that the City Council act with determination and without delays to guarantee strict and continuous compliance with the regulations throughout the Barri Vell.