Mataró suspends licenses for change of use on ground floors for one year

The Plenary of the Mataró City Council, in the session of October 1, 2026, has resolved to suspend for one year the granting of urban planning licenses for the change of use from economic activity to residential use on the ground floor. The measure affects parcels facing the axes identified in the delimitation map of the suspension area and is part of the processing of the General Planning Modification MPG-124. The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona on October 14, 2026, with the official reference CVE 202610151645 and file GTM 2026/000043136 (MPG-124).

The decision is based on article 73.1 of Legislative Decree 1/2010, of August 3, which approves the Recast Text of the Urban Planning Law (TRLUC), and has a maximum duration of one year according to article 74.1. The suspension will be maintained without prejudice to that which, if applicable, must be agreed upon by reason of the initial approval of the General Planning Modification MPG-124, in accordance with articles 73.2 and 74.1 of the same legal text. The agreement has been signed by Elizabet Ruiz Moreno, delegated councilor, and processed by the Urban Planning and Heritage Service of the City Council.

What is suspended and who is affected

The suspension covers urban planning licenses aimed at the change of use from economic activity to residential use on the ground floor. The starting uses included in the agreement are:

• Tertiary use.
• Industrial use.
• Institutional/Equipment use.
• Mobility use.

The area subject to the measure is specified as the parcels facing the axes identified in the delimitation map, approved as an annex to the agreement for the purposes of articles 73.3 of the TRLUC and 102 of the RLUC. The map remains available to the public throughout the term of validity of the suspension, and the basic documentation can be consulted at the municipal electronic office and the notice board.

Effects on current files

The fifth agreement establishes that, in accordance with article 104.1 of the Regulation of the Urban Planning Law, license granting procedures that have already been initiated and are affected by the suspension are automatically interrupted. The City Council must notify the agreement to the interested parties in these procedures and communicate it to the competent municipal services regarding urban planning licenses and activities, for the purposes of its application.

Public information and appeals

With the publication of the announcement, a one-month public information period begins, counted from the day following the publication in the BOP, so that interested parties may submit suggestions or allegations. Against the agreement, which ends the administrative route, the following may be filed:

• Appeal for reconsideration, optional and prior to contentious-administrative proceedings, before the same body that issued the decision, within a period of one month from the day following the notification.
• Direct contentious-administrative appeal, within a period of two months, before the Contentious-Administrative Court of Barcelona.

The text also recalls the possibility of filing a complaint with the Ombudsman (Defensoria de la Ciutadania), located at number 47 Cuba Street in Mataró, which is non-binding and resolved in the form of a recommendation.

The measure temporarily freezes the market for change of use of commercial premises and ground-floor shops in the affected axes and gives the city council room to define the new land-use planning of the General Plan Modification MPG-124. For ground-floor owners, developers, and residents of these streets, the agreement implies that no new licenses of this type may be granted for the duration of the suspension and that files already initiated remain halted until the urban planning process is resolved.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona, October 14, 2026, Local Administration, pp. 1-3 (official reference: CVE 202610151645).