Shopkeepers on Barcelona's Sants and Creu Coberta shopping axis are pressing for updated land-use rules to protect traditional local retail and limit further growth in bars, restaurants and low-cost businesses, after changes that traders say have accelerated since the pandemic.

For residents in Sants, Hostafrancs and nearby streets, the dispute matters because it affects where they buy everyday goods close to home. If the current shift continues, locals could face fewer specialist and family-run shops and a more uniform high street dominated by hospitality and convenience formats.

The route formed by Carrer de Sants and Creu Coberta is described by Barcelona City Council as one of the city's main shopping streets. Barcelona Turisme also presents the historic Sants and Hostafrancs area as a long-established commercial zone.

Why traders say the area is changing

According to the Carrer de Sants merchant association's official website, the street is a major commercial corridor with a long retail tradition. Traders say that role is under pressure from weaker footfall after COVID-19, rapid turnover of premises and rent levels that make it harder for small independent businesses to stay.

The Carrer de Sants merchant association's website describes the area as "the shopping street par excellence in Barcelona".

Research from CaixaBank, the Bank of Spain, the International Monetary Fund and other institutions has documented the shock that the pandemic caused to commercial property and rental markets. Those studies are broad, not specific to Sants, but they support the wider context of disruption in retail streets and business premises since 2020.

  • Sants and Creu Coberta form a continuous shopping corridor in the Sants-Montjuic district.
  • The area is pedestrianised on weekends, changing how people move through the street.
  • Traders say commercial turnover has increased since the pandemic period that began in 2020.
  • They also say hospitality venues, supermarkets and low-cost businesses are taking a larger share of frontage.

What updated land-use rules could do

Barcelona already uses special land-use plans to regulate some types of business activity in specific areas. The city has applied such plans in places including Ciutat Vella and for souvenir shops, using urban planning powers to protect residential life and manage commercial concentration.

These plans, known locally as plans d'usos, set rules on what kinds of premises can open and where. In practice, they can restrict new licences for certain activities if an area is seen as oversaturated.

For Sants traders, the aim is not to stop business activity altogether. It is to preserve a broader retail mix so residents can still find everyday neighbourhood services within walking distance.

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What residents and business owners should watch next

No new Sants-specific land-use plan has been announced in the source material provided. That means any formal change would need to come through Barcelona City Council's urban planning process.

Residents, shop owners and landlords should watch for district or city council proposals affecting licences, permitted uses or planning rules in Sants-Montjuic. Those measures can affect who can open on a street, what type of premises can replace a closing shop and how quickly the retail mix changes.

Business owners seeking official planning information can consult Barcelona City Council's urban planning rules and district channels. Residents who want to raise concerns about local commercial change can also use the council's participation and contact routes, or reach our newsroom through Contact Us.

Primary sources: Barcelona City Council, National Institutes of Health / PubMed Central, Ajuntament de Barcelona (City Council of Barcelona), Ajuntament de Barcelona (Department of Urban Ecology), Ajuntament de Barcelona (Metropolis Department). Reported by Barcelona Turisme, Carrer de Sants (merchant association), CaixaBank Research, Banco de España, International Monetary Fund, Central Bank of Ireland, HAL Cnam, MDPI, betevé (Local Media of Barcelona), City of Santa Cruz (California), El Periódico (CA).