The Eixample Usage Plan, which gained final approval in the special full council meeting of 3 February, limits the presence of bars and restaurants, discos, food stores with tastings, small supermarkets and shops with special opening hours which stay open until the night. The goal is to avoid inconvenience to local people and the noise generated by the concentration of these premises in certain streets, at the same time avoiding gentrification and the loss of local commerce. The plan establishes two regulations:

Regulation of existing or projected traffic-calmed streets

This is a regulation which adopts the model for the usage plan for Sant Antoni. It will be applied to the streets where traffic-calming measures already apply (C/Enric Granados, Pg. Sant Joan, Av. Mistral, Crtra. Ribes, Av. Gaudí and C/ Cartegena), and to the future green streets in the Barcelona Superblock plus those soon to be traffic-calmed (including C/ Tamarit, C/ Parliament and C/ Aldana) and others in the future.

In Sant Antoni, a working group will be created with local people, shops and businesses and municipal groups to monitor the plan in the neighbourhood, with a review to follow after a year.

Limitations:

• Maximum of five establishments (restaurants, nightlife, supermarkets, conveniences stores, food stores with tastings) in a radius of 50 metres.
• Maximum of 18 establishments in a radius of 100 metres.
• Minimum linear distance of 25 metres between establishments.

Regulation for the rest of the district

This will mean a limit of 20 establishments of this types in a radius of 100 metres.

Each regulation takes into account the characteristics of each street and will allow for new shops and businesses to open in a more orderly and sustainable way.

The final approval for the Eixample Usage Plan will be debated and voted on in January’s full council meeting.