Lleida bars and restaurants will have five years to standardise their terrace chairs and awnings under a revised Landscape Ordinance, city officials have said. The change was debated and validated by the City Management commission before going to a full council meeting next week.
The new rules say terrace chairs must have armrests, be dark in colour, and be made from wood, wicker, textile material or hard plastic such as polypropylene. Awnings will need to be cream-coloured. Deputy Mayor for City Management Begoña Iglesias said the ordinance includes several valid models already used by many businesses. Existing chairs with branding and awnings can stay, but they must be more discreet.
The ordinance also tightens rules on shopfront advertising and signage. Vinyl and advertising on shop windows will be limited to 30% of the surface area, while commercial signs will be restricted to the business name and corporate logo. If a sign is framed within an establishment entrance, it can cover up to 20% of the doorway. Ornamental lighting on ground-floor businesses will not be allowed unless it is part of the main sign.
Iglesias said the aim is to organise public space and that the document has been simplified with illustrative images. After next week’s council vote, the ordinance will go through a month of public exhibition, with final approval expected by the end of July. Junts welcomed the changes, especially those on terrace furniture and commercial advertising, and said it would propose an amendment requiring restaurants to display the permitted number of tables and chairs in a visible place.
The updated ordinance also sets conditions for solar panels on roofs in the Historic Centre. Licences for these installations had been suspended for more than a year while a regulatory framework was prepared. Under the new rules, panels can be installed if they do not extend beyond the roof or cornice, are not flat, and match the colour of the existing roofs or the approved colour palette for the Historic Centre.
The Historic Centre, along with La Seu Vella, Gardeny and the Segre riverfront, is now classed as a landscape interest area. Iglesias said the earlier licence suspension was needed because views from the Turó de la Seu Vella were not protected and panel installation was not regulated. The ordinance will also require electricity and telecommunications companies to remove disused cables from building façades.