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Diari de Catalunya

ERC proposes urban plan to curb the proliferation of 24-hour supermarkets in Barcelona

The initiative, to be debated on Friday's plenary session, seeks to regulate the opening of these businesses and create an inspection body to combat infractions.

Facade of a brightly lit 24-hour supermarket on a Barcelona street, focusing on commercial density.
IA

Facade of a brightly lit 24-hour supermarket on a Barcelona street, focusing on commercial density.

The municipal group ERC will present a special urban plan in Barcelona this Friday to limit the opening of 24-hour supermarkets, citing the loss of local commerce and numerous detected irregularities.

ERC councilors will bring to this Friday's plenary session the proposal to develop a special urban plan to regulate the opening of these establishments, considering the characteristics of each neighborhood. This administrative formula would be similar to the one that already regulates new hotel establishments in the city of Barcelona.
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"The proliferation of 24-hour supermarkets in Barcelona has exceeded the city's limits. They not only replace proximity commerce but also change the image of our streets. Our goal is to regain control of the city and the balance between the city's success and our identity and way of life."

Elisenda Alamany · President of the ERC municipal group
Currently, opening a business of this nature is simple, often requiring only notification to the City Council. This ease, coupled with the sector's indiscipline, has led to uncontrolled proliferation. Inspections reveal flagrant labor, tax, utility fraud (especially electricity), and urban planning irregularities. During 2024, about 2,000 infractions were detected in just 112 inspected supermarkets.
The ERC proposal also includes applying containment measures during the plan's development to prevent an opening “boom,” as well as creating an inspection body with the necessary resources to control the sector and ensure coordination between municipal, regional, and state administrations.
In response to this lack of control, the PP municipal group, led by Daniel Sirera, will demand political and administrative accountability. This demand follows a recent inspection where 24 out of 26 supermarkets were found to have fraudulent connections to the electricity supply.
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"What has been uncovered in these supers is extremely serious. We are facing proof that for years the City Council lost control of the city's commercial fabric. When so many licenses are granted without control and inspection is neglected, this happens: unsafe premises, labor exploitation, massive electrical fraud, and degradation of public space."

Daniel Sirera · PP Councilor
The PP believes that the origin of this lack of control lies in the governments of Ada Colau, supported by the socialists, and demands that the government of Mayor Jaume Collboni review the licenses granted in the last ten years and immediately strengthen inspection mechanisms.

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