The numbers speak for themselves. The complex administrative process to regularize the so-called covid terraces– insofar as they were granted or expanded to alleviate the restrictions on restoration during the pandemic–, continues slowly. But with 55% of the files processed, the average is overwhelming: seven denials for every ten requests. That is, until now the districts have dropped 1,075 petitions and approved 459.
The figures correspond to the official balance as of September 8, so the Guild of Restoration of Barcelona he still trusts that the city council “fulfills the commitment to approve the majority & rdquor; instead of following through with “a massive default.” During the pandemic it authorized 3,562 covid watchmen, of which 2,786 applied for definitive consolidation. The council had planned a quick process, with the idea that in the case of the road terraces at the end of summer the New Jersey barriers and the yellow pivots would have already been replaced. But as EL PERIÓDICO reported this August, barely thirty had done so on that date.
The accumulated data confirms both the delay in the processing, as well as the large volume of denials. It should be remembered that the city council assured that those located on the road (more than almost 1,600) would practically be consolidated automatically, since they had gained space at the expense of the car and not the pedestrian. But those on the sidewalk would be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. However, the failures are affecting both situations. While the sector asks for the maximum number of approvals, the FAVB has repeatedly demanded the cut in both cases.
In the provisional balance (with almost half of the cases to be decided and many arguments presented against those that were dismissed) the weight of the Eixample. The director of the employers’ association, Roger Pallarols, recalls that this district led the extraordinary measure of authorizing covid terraces to compensate for the loss of capacity inside the premises during the worst of the coronavirus. There, 1,280 were granted and attempts have been made to consolidate 1,009. However, the percentage of rejection is very high, with 463 compared to only 124 granted. That is, a 78.9% negative, which slightly softens the accumulated data that came out in June. We will have to see what happens with the more than 400 pending verdicts.
Until September, only the district of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi has generated more approvals than failures (52 versus 7), which means consolidating 88.1% of the offer so far, while in Les Corts the figures are on par. In the rest of the districts, the rejected terraces are imposed, which in the case of old city they maintain the data from the beginning of summer, when the union denounced that 99% were being suspended. 2 have been awarded, compared to 193 out of play. Pallarols regrets that the district has not improved its data, despite the fact that at the time he assured that the final proportion would not be so high. In the area there are only 30 cases to be resolved, in fact.
Going through the data of the territory, the number of refusals pronounced in Sant Martí also stands out, and even in Nou Barris, despite having many fewer requests, those denied double those approved.
Sidewalk and shim casesda
The employer notes the disparity of territorial criteria in both areas, sidewalk and road. Thus, the heavy hand of the Eixample essentially affects the watchmen who occupy pedestrian areas, most of which are discarded.
In Sants-Montjuïc there is much more continuity on the road (51) than on the pavement (15), as in Les Corts and Sant Andreu. On the contrary, in Horta-Guinardó the green light has been given to 24 in the pedestrian area, and only one in the space stolen from the car, in a similar situation in Nou Barris.
Nor do the files advance at the same pace in one and other enclaves. Ciutat Vella is where it is most advanced, with 86.7% resolved, despite being the area where the most conflict is registered due to massive denial. It is followed by Sant Martí with 63.7%, and Eixample with 58.2%. On the queue, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi has only ruled on a quarter of the requests, followed by Gràcia, with 37.8%.
The union manages hundreds of resources against the lost terraces considering that the arguments “do not hold” based on the modification of the ordinance that was approved to accommodate the assemblies on the road. He believes that the process is being “a disaster and nonsense.” “There are no impediments to meeting expectations,” insists its director. The city council wants to wait for the end of the procedure to talk about figures and conclusions. It should be remembered that the council has already opened another pulse with the sector after establishing the so-called saturation zones where those watchmen cannot be maintained and where they want to restrict hours.
Prices that hold back
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The normalization of covid terraces not only runs into administrative filters but also economic ones. The operators have already complained from this newspaper that the planned investment has grown due to the increase in costs, with some €9,000 for each platform for four tables, on average.
In the group Timesburg, which has obtained a license for several of its roadside terraces, assume that “it is a lot of money and you have to think about it well so that the numbers add up”, given that the subsidies arrive later and you have to add the cost of plant ornamentation and furniture. Its CEO and director, Sergi Ibáñez, says that in his case they have decided to bet on it because they still see a great preference among customers for open spaces. “We take it for not losing it,” she assumes. But she wonders what will happen in winter. “Hopefully it will be positive,” she says, with the example of Poblenou, where a four-table module has been added to the sidewalk.