One-Year Moratorium on Key Retail Openings
The Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council has approved a one-year freeze on granting licences and prior notifications for opening or expanding nine types of commercial activities across the city’s consolidated urban area. The measure, confirmed on Tuesday 6 October 2026, will take effect upon publication in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona. The moratorium affects businesses selling fruit and vegetables, outlet and second-hand goods, food self-service stores, 24-hour food outlets, mobile phone and accessory shops, and storage rental services. It also applies to renovation works and expansions of existing premises dedicated to these activities.
Review to Protect Local Commerce
Mayor Mireia González stated the suspension "allows us to open a reflection and a process of modifying regulations to achieve a fundamental objective for the city: to ensure that the future of commerce in Coloma is orderly in order to protect local and traditional businesses." The council cited a rise in licence applications and consultations for these commercial types as justification. Officials will now commission studies through the Urban Planning and Commerce, Fairs, and Market Discipline departments to assess whether the current Urban Improvement Plan for Commercial Axes and Uses (PMURECU) remains fit for purpose.
The moratorium allows us to open a reflection to ensure the future of local and traditional businesses
The move aligns with the drafting of the Santa Coloma Strategic Commerce Plan 2026–2030, which aims to balance the city’s commercial offering and address gaps or over-concentrations of certain business types. Over the next year, each of the nine categories will be reviewed individually, with potential regulatory changes proposed based on findings. Further details on the moratorium and related studies will be published via the Ajuntament de Santa Coloma de Gramenet website.
Primary sources: boe.es. Reported by lavanguardia.com, gramenet.cat, La Vanguardia Catalonia.
