La Rambla street merchants could be evicted this month as part of reformation plans
Collective of the small businesses argue that their licenses are valid and plead for negotiation with the council
Street merchants on Barcelona’s famous La Rambla boulevard have received notification that they must move off their premises this month.
The evictions are part of the city council’s plans to reform La Rambla this year, with the aim of changing the perception that the boulevard is a place strictly for tourists.
In total, it’s estimated that the refurbishment will cost around €44.5 million, making it a greener space with a stronger emphasis on culture, with enlarged sidewalks by reducing roads from two lanes to one.
The ‘old bird sellers’ as they are known in Catalan due to the fact that the stalls used to sell birds and other animals, received eviction notifications near the end of January, and they say this will place in the next week or so, as the exact date does not appear in the notification.
Javier Cuenca, spokesperson for the collective ‘Antic Ocellaires’ affected by the move, explained the situation to the Catalan News Agency and defended that their licenses are still valid, and urges dialogue and a negotiated solution from the Barcelona City Council.
The affected merchants have filed an appeal against their eviction and have requested judicial mediation in the conflict. They also point out that a second lawsuit was filed, which is pending resolution.
As such, they ask the mayor, Ada Colau, to agree to dialogue and negotiate before making any decision, especially when the judicial conflict has not yet been resolved.
Cuenca insists that the rush to evict them is a "pressure strategy". He also says that the La Rambla remodelling plans would not reach the section where their stalls stand until 2029, which is why he does not understand the rush for them to leave.
He says he does not want to leave his stalls as they are a heritage of his family after his grandfather worked in them, but says he does not want an eviction and points out that the livelihoods of 100 families are at stake.
That is he wants to reach an agreement with authorities and has looked into other options to solve the conflict, such as transferring the stalls to markets, for example.