ERC calls for the protection of Sant Jaume Square and the Casa de la Ciutat in Barcelona

Esquerra Republicana has requested the Barcelona City Council to initiate the procedures for declaring Sant Jaume Square and the Casa de la Ciutat as national cultural heritage. The party aims to strengthen the protection of the site and prevent the loss of housing in the historic centre.

The proposal from ERC comes during the Fiestas de la Mercè, when the square hosts events such as the arrival of the Seguici, the Ball de l'Àliga, and casteller performances. The republicans argue that these uses are part of the value of the space and should be protected by the highest level of heritage protection.

The municipal group has registered an initiative for the Barcelona City Council to request the Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat to include the Casa de la Ciutat and Sant Jaume Square in the Register of Cultural Heritage of National Interest. Currently, the city hall building is protected as a cultural asset of local interest, a level lower than what the republicans are demanding.

According to ERC, the Casa de la Ciutat "deserves the highest heritage protection due to its historical, institutional, and architectural significance." The building has been the seat of the municipal government for centuries and houses spaces such as the Saló de Cent, linked to the history of the Consell de Cent and the tradition of self-government in the Catalan capital.

The ERC mayoral candidate and party secretary general, Elisenda Alamany, has argued that the measure should also serve to protect the residential and commercial function of the surrounding area. "The heritage of a historic centre is not just its monuments and buildings, but also the streets, squares, local commerce, uses, traditions, and above all, the people who live in it," she stated.

"Protecting the heritage of Ciutat Vella also means protecting its function as a place to live, and the declaration of Sant Jaume would be a step in this direction"

The republicans emphasise that the declaration would allow for the regulation of actions affecting the urban landscape of the square, including installations and temporary occupations, furniture, signage, and activities held there. They also believe that the heritage value of Sant Jaume goes beyond the physical space and the surrounding buildings, asserting its role as a stage for popular Barcelona culture.

The initiative notes that the Palau de la Generalitat is already declared in the same area, which ERC believes reinforces the need to equate the protection of the site. The party stresses that this level of protection could prevent housing from being progressively replaced by other activities in the historic centre.

Now, the ball is in the court of the municipal government, which must decide whether to forward the request to the Generalitat. If the procedures go ahead, Sant Jaume Square and the Casa de la Ciutat would receive the same protection framework as other unique elements of Catalan heritage.