City Council is to introduce a series of financial measures valued at 1 million euros a year to promote and protect emblematic commercial establishments in the city. The special plan is to be debated at the next Full Council session and includes the definitive catalogue of 211 establishments.

The catalogue of emblematic establishments included in the special protection plan ascribes the establishments the highest level of protection in terms of heritage. The register includes detailed information on which parts of buildings are protected and sets out 3 categories of protection according to the heritage value, era and style of each establishment. The first category includes establishments of special interest (E1), which retain the majority of their heritage elements. The second category includes establishments of interest (E2), which have singular heritage features but which have lost their overall coherence due to work carried out on them over the years. The third category is for establishments which contain elements of interest from a landscape perspective (E3).

To help owners and tenants continue their day-to-day activity, the plan includes a package of financial measures worth 1 million euros a year. Tax relief of 50% is proposed for the Construction, Installation and Works Tax (ICIO) for E1 category buildings and 35% for E2 and E3 category buildings. Subsidies for Property Tax (IBI) are also proposed as part of the campaign to protect and improve the urban landscape. Other measures include advisory services, business and general support in the spheres of culture and commerce, such as the Ruta dels Emblemàtics.

“We want to protect emblematic commerce, which generates the city’s own urban landscape, with cultural value and commercial diversity”, asserted the Deputy Mayor for Ecology, Urban Planning and Mobility, Janet Sanz. The special plan will be debated on 26 February, prior to the suspension of licences due on 13 March.