The new Ciutat Vella Uses Plan faces its final approval in May with the rejection of the Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Barcelona, which warns of a shift in favor of tourism and nightlife in one of the districts with the most pressure on residential life in the city.
The tension is concentrated in a specific point. Although the Barcelona City Council maintains restrictions on restaurants, tourist services, nightlife, and businesses linked to the tourist monoculture, the document would simultaneously allow the opening of between four and seven new nightclubs on several streets in Ciutat Vella, including Via Laietana, Passeig de Joan de Borbó, Ronda de Sant Antoni, and Ronda de Sant Pau.
The plan allows up to seven more nightclubs despite current restrictions
The neighborhood entities maintain that this possibility distorts the objective of protecting local commerce and neighborhood life. Martí Cusó, president of the Associació de Veïns del Gòtic, summarized his position thus: "They are slipping us a liberalized use plan."
Ivan Pera, Commissioner of the Pact for Ciutat Vella, defended the council's room for maneuver in addressing nightlife activities.
"We are talking about activities linked to nightlife that you cannot prohibit, because if you prohibit them you will have an appeal against it and you will lose it due to the free market" - Ivan Pera, Comissionat of the Pact for Ciutat Vella, Barcelona City Council
The City Council classifies economic activities into three levels of impact and applies density, radius, and surface limits. That scheme remains in force for restaurants, tourist services, nightlife, and businesses linked to the tourist monoculture.
At the same time, recreational activities with musical entertainment have a reduced weight in the district. Currently, they represent 1% of the 3,102 activity licenses in Ciutat Vella.
More than 29 meetings ended with 16 neighborhood allegations
The municipal government frames the proposal within a participatory process developed between 2025 and 2026. During that period, there were more than 29 meetings and sessions with neighborhood, commercial, business entities, political groups, and citizens.
From that process, 16 written allegations emerged. Neighborhood associations are now asking municipal groups not to give the green light to the text in its current wording and are demanding changes that prioritize the needs of the neighborhood over the tourism business.
Now the calendar is tight. Jaume Collboni's executive plans to bring the document for final approval in May, before the suspension of licenses decreed in 2024 to order the new regulation expires.