Neither ghost supermarkets nor macro cuisines in the city of Barcelona. This is the objective of the municipal government in its final proposal presented yesterday for the new use plan that regulates these activities. The regulations arose as a result of the proliferation of these businesses with the pandemic, especially during confinement. In addition, many of the restaurants and bars that deliver food at home will have to apply for a specific permit, and those with more than 200 m2 of surface area will also have to have a space for the delivery people. New conditions that have caused discomfort in the restaurant sector because they consider that they will lose competitiveness.
In a joint appearance by the socialist and common government, the proposal presented goes one step further to put an end to macro kitchens, known as dark kitchens, which group together several industrial kitchens intended for the distribution of food. They can only be opened in the Free Zone and with conditions, unlike the initial proposal of a few months ago, which provided for other industrial areas, such as the Besòs area, now ruled out due to the proximity to residential areas. With the new regulation, openings are limited to the Free Zone and as long as there is a maximum of this type of premises within a radius of 400 m2.
On the other hand, the days of the 21 ghost supermarkets detected in the city by Barcelona City Council are numbered. The municipal government gives those currently operating two options: either transform into food warehouses without home delivery with the current license or transform into supermarkets open to the public after processing the corresponding permits.
These types of businesses have raised complaints from neighbors due to mobility problems and the occupation of the street by riders, with their motorbikes, scooters and bicycles. The noise and stench generated by their activity are other nuisances that neighbors have reported. “The objective of the plan is to bring order to it”, emphasized Janet Sanz, second deputy mayor of the commons, while the socialist Laia Bonet, third lieutenant, stated that she wants to ensure “a model of trade and restoration to the city that generates employment but also a living, diverse and human tissue”.
As for the bars and restaurants that offer home delivery, they will have to request a specific permit for this activity during the two years that the plan comes into force. Businesses with more than 200 m2 will also be required to reserve a space for delivery people, depending on their size. Thus, premises between 200 and 300 m2 must allocate 10 m2, and those over 300 m2, 5 m2 for every 100 m2. New conditions that the Barcelona Restaurant Guild does not see favorably, because it understands that the sector will lose competitiveness and the gastronomic offer will be “impoverished”. “It is an absurd rule that no one has asked for and that the city does not need”, lamented Roger Pallarols, director of the guild.
In order to prevent ghost supermarkets or macro kitchens from disguising their activity with a permit for home delivery of food as a complementary activity, the establishment will be required to dedicate a minimum of 40% of the surface to use public
The City Council has already announced that once the rule enters into force, it will carry out the relevant controls. It is expected that the proposal will be definitively approved at the plenary session in January after going through the municipal commission next week.
