Faced with the proliferation of terraces on the public road last summer, the City Council already dictated minimum safety standards. Now it has gone a little further and approved a regulation that unifies the image of the terraces. It bans awnings with advertising and plastic chairs on the 170 existing terraces.
The Local Government Board of Vilafranca has approved regulations governing terraces, with the aim of unifying criteria so that the town's image is not harmed. The City Council does not put obstacles in the way of setting up terraces; on the contrary, it provides facilities, but wants them with quality criteria. The eight articles of the regulations are valid for all new terraces and, for existing ones, there is a margin of adaptation until the end of the year.
As a general rule, the awnings will be without advertising outside of the bar that has them, and they must be of a light color; as for the chairs and tables, they must be metal, wood or wicker (only plastic will be allowed for the main party). In addition, it is forbidden to stack chairs and tables on the street outside of opening hours.
In addition, the City Council differentiates five terrace areas, for which different measures are required: on the sidewalk, they can occupy a maximum of 50% of the sidewalk and must leave at least 1.80 meters of pedestrian passage; in the pedestrian island, the minimum passage for pedestrians is 3.20 meters, and the passage area for vehicles cannot be occupied; in squares and parks, they cannot be in spaces where other activities take place (for example, in the middle of children's games); under porches must leave a minimum pedestrian passage of 1.80 meters; and on the road, they must have a maximum length of ten meters and safety elements are required, such as being raised on a platform and with bollards separating the road.
The regulations are stricter for the terraces of Rambla Nostra Senyora and Avinguda Tarragona, where the enclosures must be made with natural plants.
In two years, the number of terraces on public roads has doubled (largely as a result of the Tobacco law) and the City Council has gone from collecting 65,000 euros to more than 100,000 last year. Looking ahead to next year, the local government will consider establishing bonuses for the terraces that invest in improving the overall image; specific regulations for the terraces of Plaça Constitució are also pending.
Source: LA FURA