Barcelona City Council regulates private building developments during the state of alarm – COVID19

On 17 March 2020, Barcelona City Council approved a decree by which

• – DECLARES THE SUSPENSION of the periods of execution of the private promotion works established in the municipal enabling titles of any type (licence, deferred or immediate communications, “assabentats”) during the period of validity of the state of alarm and, if appropriate, of the extensions that may be adopted.
• – WARNS to the promoters must suspend the works, installations and constructions are being carried out in the municipal area of Barcelona if they cannot guaranty the application of the safety measures approved by the WHO, the state and regional health authorities and the Barcelona Public Health Agency to their employees.

This warning covers both major and minor works.

• – RECOMMENDS the suspension of all private development works that involve travel on public roads.
• – It excludes from the scope of the Decree the actions to be carried out during the validity of Real Decreto 463/2020 (i.e. 15 days from 14th March) when they are justified to ensure the safety of people.

The Decree therefore seems to allow the completion of works covered by execution orders whose fulfilment is compulsory during the period indicated above and always in the interest of guaranteeing the safety of persons (not of buildings, if this does not imply a risk to persons). The Mayor’s Decree has been published in the Boletín Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona on March 18th, 2020.