The very bold and eye-catching signs of the latest pastry shop mainly aimed at occasional visitors to the green axis of Consell de Cent street are irritating many nearby residents. However, this is not just a matter of taste. The tremendously flashy setup of prominent eyes, yellow color, and different reliefs meant to evoke the happiest cheese blatantly violates the urban landscape regulations of the Barcelona City Council. They might even get fined.
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“Throughout the Eixample district, both merchants’ associations and neighborhood associations support the defense of traditional local commerce – explains Joaquim Mallen, from the Fort Pienc neighborhood association – because these nearby shops bond neighborhoods and help preserve their identities. The City Council already launched a usage plan on Consell de Cent street to curb the growth of commercial monocultures and to ensure everyone respects the facades. We don’t understand why more controls aren’t carried out to prevent such blatant cases as this.”
Many fear that the proliferation of businesses aimed at visitors will end the traditional ones
The controversy arises after a few long-standing neighborhood businesses, such as the Fermín and Carol wine cellars in Barceloneta and Clot respectively, denounced municipal pressure to remove their traditional signs, signs that many consider identity marks of their respective neighborhoods. The outrage was so great that Mayor Jaume Collboni’s government announced it would stop these pressures and reform the urban landscape ordinance to truly protect these parts of Barcelona’s more informal identity.
Furthermore, a few days ago La Vanguardia explained that the green axis of Consell de Cent became a new meeting point for residents of all the surrounding neighborhoods, but this pacification is also fueling some unwanted effects of tourism.
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In just five years, rental prices for commercial premises in the busiest sections, especially on the right side, have doubled. This is leading to a proliferation of businesses mainly aimed at occasional visitors, whether tourists, expats, or people from other towns coming to spend the afternoon. We are mainly talking about the recently known specialty coffee shops, artisanal ice cream parlors with a wide variety of toppings, many brunch spots…
Municipal sources indicate that, following a municipal inspection carried out on July 9, “the City Council has already initiated a procedure to require the facade of the premises at number 380 Consell de Cent street called Boom Cake to comply with current regulations, as it presents violations of the urban landscape usage ordinance. Additionally, the City Council has also initiated an economic sanctioning procedure.”
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