The municipal plenary approved this Friday to urge the Government and the Generalitat to regulate commercial rents, aiming to protect local businesses. The PSC's proposal was passed with the support of ERC and Comuns, while Junts, PP, and Vox voted against it.
The plenary of the Barcelona City Council approved this Friday a proposal from the PSC to urge the central Government and the Generalitat to adopt measures that would allow limiting commercial rents in the city. The initiative, defended by the Councillor for Commerce, Raquel Gil, seeks to preserve local businesses and iconic establishments against rising rents.
The proposal received support from ERC and the Comuns, although both groups expressed criticisms of the formula put forward by the socialists. In contrast, Junts, PP, and Vox voted against it, considering it an interventionism that could harm the market. The business association Barcelona Oberta also expressed its disagreement, stating that regulation is not the best solution.
The approved text outlines a dual strategy. On one hand, it urges the Spanish Government to amend the Urban Leasing Law (LAU) to allow the regulation of commercial rents. On the other hand, it asks the Generalitat to create a new right of first refusal and retraction that grants administrations preferential purchasing rights for strategic or unique premises when they come up for sale, provided they are spaces sensitive to real estate and tourist pressure.
During her speech, Raquel Gil emphasised the City Council's commitment to defending local businesses, unique shops, and traditional establishments, which she considers identity elements of the neighbourhoods. The councillor called for Congress to enable mechanisms to contain prices in the areas most affected by the sustained increase in rents, aiming to ensure the permanence of small businesses and avoid commercial homogenisation.
The PSC argues that rent increases cannot be borne by local businesses, but can be by large operators or franchises with greater economic capacity. This leads to a replacement of traditional businesses and a loss of diversity and local references. The proposal aims to halt this process before reaching what Mayor Jaume Collboni has termed commercial desertification.
The debate on regulating commercial rents is not new. In 2024, ERC already presented a proposal in the same vein, which was approved in the Economy Commission with the support of PSC and Comuns. However, at that time, the head of Commerce had doubts about which types of premises to limit the measures to. Now, the City Council has specified its proposal, focusing on local, strategic, and iconic businesses.
Collboni outlined his plans last Wednesday, assuring that there is room to protect local commerce before commercial desertification occurs. The initiative, according to the mayor, could serve as an example for other cities, as Barcelona would once again be a pioneer in implementing such measures.
The approved proposal establishes that the City Council will work in parallel with the Generalitat to develop the new right of first refusal and retraction, which would allow administrations to purchase strategic premises when they come onto the market. This measure would be applied selectively, focusing on those spaces most sensitive to real estate and tourist pressure.
The next step will be to convey the request to the central Government and the Generalitat, so they can initiate the necessary legislative procedures. Meanwhile, the City Council will continue to analyse the impact of the measure and study possible improvements. The regulation of commercial rents is shaping up to be one of the priorities of the council for the coming months, in a context of growing concern over the loss of local businesses in the neighbourhoods of Barcelona.
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