#altemporda — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #altemporda, aggregated by home.social.
-
[email protected] Figueres is bringing back its shop voucher scheme this autumn, with a budget of 100,000 euros. From 20 October to 25 November, every resident aged 18 or over who is registered on the town's padró can claim two vouchers worth 10 euros each. Each voucher can only be used on a purchase of at least 20 euros, and it must be spent within 15 days of the request.
The campaign again uses the slogan "If you love Figueres, shop in Figueres!". It is run by the council together with the retailers' association Comerç Figueres and the Girona Chamber of Commerce. Shops, bars and restaurants can sign up from 14 to 19 October. The list of possible participants is broad: greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers and cake shops, cafes and restaurants, hairdressers, beauty centres and laundries, gyms and dance schools, and clothing, shoe, perfume and household goods stores. Residents can download their vouchers online or pick them up at the Tourist Office in plaça de l'Escorxador. As before, the dates deliberately avoid the Christmas rush so the extra spending lands in a quieter part of the year.
The last edition gives the council good reason to repeat it. Across two rounds, one in autumn and one from February to March, residents made 13,228 purchases and spent 676,785 euros in local businesses. The November round brought in 346,603 euros from 6,352 purchases, and the February round brought in 330,182 euros from 6,876 purchases. The average receipt was 54.56 euros in autumn and 48.01 euros in winter, far above the 20 euro minimum. In other words, a modest public subsidy appears to have unlocked much larger private spending. Business interest also grew, from 110 participating establishments in the first round to nearly 140 in the second.
For people in Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries, the benefit is indirect. Only residents registered in Figueres qualify, even though many people from the surrounding area do their shopping in the regional capital. The scheme is part of a wider effort by Figueres to strengthen its town centre, which also includes plans for a 50-metre minimum distance between certain city centre shops.
Two questions are still open. Will Figueres add another February round as it did last year? And should neighbouring towns such as Castelló d'Empúries try similar vouchers for their own businesses, or do such schemes mostly shift spending from one place to another?
-
Figueres shop vouchers return with 100,000 euro budget
-
Figueres shop vouchers return with 100,000 euro budget
-
Figueres shop vouchers return with 100,000 euro budget
-
Figueres approves Guàrdia Urbana community office
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/figueres-approves-guardia-urbana-community-office/
-
[email protected] Figueres City Council has given final approval to a project that will turn a municipal premises on Plaça Sant Vicenç de Paül into a community relations office for the Guàrdia Urbana, the town's local police force. The "aprovació definitiva" is the last step in the Catalan procedure for public works projects, after initial approval and a period for public comment. The council has published a 7.8 MB project document and a short 125.2 KB approval notice.
Much is still unclear. The published summary gives no budget, no construction timetable and no opening date. It also does not say how many officers will work there, what the opening hours will be or which services residents can expect. Walk-in hours, complaint handling and a meeting point for neighbourhood groups are all possible, but none has been confirmed. It is also not known when the works will go to tender.
The name matters, though. This is not planned as a new police station or operational headquarters. It is meant as a base for contact between the force and residents, local associations and businesses. The Guàrdia Urbana is run by the town council, not the Catalan government, and deals mainly with traffic, by-laws, public order and neighbourhood issues. Major criminal investigations are handled by the regional Mossos d'Esquadra. Like Barcelona, Figueres uses the name Guàrdia Urbana instead of the more common "Policia Local".
The approval fits a wider push on public safety in the capital of the Alt Empordà. Figueres recently installed number plate cameras at its town entrances to monitor vehicles coming and going. Recent figures show crime falling in Figueres and Roses, while drug offences rose over the same period.
Taken together, this points to a two-track strategy: technology and surveillance at the edges of town, face-to-face contact and visible presence at street level. For people in Castelló d'Empúries and Empuriabrava, who have their own local police, the office will change little day to day. Still, it could become a model for other towns in the county, if it turns out to be more than a label on a door.
Do neighbourhood police offices build real trust and cooperation with residents, or do cameras and patrols do more for safety in towns like these?
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/figueres-approves-guardia-urbana-community-office/
-
Figueres approves Guàrdia Urbana community office
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/figueres-approves-guardia-urbana-community-office/
-
Figueres approves Guàrdia Urbana community office
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/figueres-approves-guardia-urbana-community-office/
-
Local elections 2027: how foreign residents can register
-
[email protected] Foreign residents in Spain who want a say in the municipal elections of 23 May 2027 need to act soon. A notice from Roses council sets out the rules, which apply nationwide, from Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries to the rest of the Alt Empordà. There are two separate tracks: one for EU citizens, and one for nationals of countries that have reciprocal voting agreements with Spain.
EU citizens must formally declare that they want to vote in Spain. There are three ways to do this. They can declare online through the National Statistics Institute (INE) with the Cl@ve digital ID. They can go to the town hall with form CERE.DFA-2 and their NIE card, national ID or passport. Or they can reply by post. In the last days of September 2026, the Electoral Census Office (OCE) is sending pre-filled letters to EU residents it has not contacted before and who have not yet declared. Each letter includes a CTT code for finishing the process online without Cl@ve, or it can be returned free of charge. The declaration stays valid as long as you live in Spain. Both padró registration and the declaration must be completed by 30 December 2026.
Thirteen non-EU countries have agreements with Spain: Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Korea, Ecuador, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago. Applicants must be over 18, be on the padró and hold a residence authorisation. They must also meet a minimum period of legal residence. For Norwegians it is three years on election day, for Britons three years at the time of applying, and for everyone else five years. Residence must be proven with a certificate from the Foreigners' Office or the police. OCE letters with CTT codes go out in late November 2026, based on padró data as of 30 August. Applications are accepted online, by post or at the town hall with form CERE.N-2, but only from 1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. Late applications are rejected.
The stakes are local but real. The council elected in May will shape issues such as Castelló's participatory budget and its position on the regional tourist flat decree. The split system also carries a trap. British residents who have lived here for years may assume the EU rules still cover them and miss a January window that works entirely differently.
Both routes depend on correct padró registration, so now is a good time to check your address details. Will the OCE letters arrive on time, and will councils like Castelló d'Empúries actively encourage foreign residents to sign up? If you are eligible, have you already registered?
-
Local elections 2027: how foreign residents can register
-
Local elections 2027: how foreign residents can register
-
[email protected] Spain's Policía Nacional has seized 997 contraband cigarettes and cigars worth an estimated 226,714 euros in La Jonquera, the last Spanish town before the French border on the main road out of Catalonia. A passenger on a long-distance bus from Murcia to Paris was arrested and now faces a charge of contraband, the Spanish offence covering the illegal transport or trade of goods subject to customs and tax controls.
The find came almost by chance. Officers were carrying out a routine immigration check, one of the "controls d'estrangeria" that focus on foreign nationals' documents, when they searched the man's suitcase. Inside were Havana cigars from some of the most famous Cuban brands, including Cohiba, Montecristo and Partagàs. They were not in their original boxes but split into 40 packets and wrapped loosely in clear plastic.
That packaging raises an obvious question: are the cigars even real? Police are now checking their authenticity, and the answer could change the case. If they are fakes, it would involve counterfeit branded goods, not just unpaid duties. Authorities have not revealed the man's identity or nationality, where the tobacco came from, or where it was meant to be sold.
La Jonquera sits in the Alt Empordà, the county that also includes Figueres, Roses, Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries. Lorries, cars and international coaches cross the border there every day, which makes it a regular spot for police checks. The seizure is a reminder that the area is not only a holiday destination but also a transit corridor between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe.
It also fits a broader pattern of attention to what moves along the county's roads. Recent figures showed overall crime falling in Figueres and Roses while drug offences rose, and Figueres has decided to install number plate cameras at its town entrances.
Is this a one-off case of a single passenger with a suitcase full of cigars, or a glimpse of a wider smuggling network using ordinary coach routes? And do more checks and cameras on border roads make sense, or do they mostly burden ordinary travellers? What is already clear is that buses crossing at La Jonquera can be stopped at any time and their luggage searched.
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/la-jonquera-police-seize-226714-in-contraband-cigars/
-
La Jonquera: police seize €226,714 in contraband cigars
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/la-jonquera-police-seize-226714-in-contraband-cigars/
-
La Jonquera: police seize €226,714 in contraband cigars
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/la-jonquera-police-seize-226714-in-contraband-cigars/
-
La Jonquera: police seize €226,714 in contraband cigars
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/la-jonquera-police-seize-226714-in-contraband-cigars/
-
Figueres magic festival fills venues in fourth edition
-
[email protected] Full houses, bigger street crowds and a gala that organisers say raised the bar: the International Magic Festival of Figueres has wrapped up its fourth edition on a high. From 25 to 27 September, the capital of the Alt Empordà hosted large-format shows, close-up magic, street performances, workshops and family activities, with artists from France, Belgium, Cuba, Extremadura and Catalonia.
Festival founder and director, illusionist Raül Black, says every event sold out, from the Magic Dinner and the close-up gala at Caputxins to the children's gala. Street shows drew more people than in previous years, and in his view the quality "has not only been maintained, but has increased."
The International Gala was dedicated to the late Spanish magician Juan Tamariz (1942-2026) and hosted by Belgian clown Elastic. Cuban illusionist Ernesto Planas opened with his signature umbrella routine, French magician Florian Sainvet followed with a futuristic sleight-of-hand act, and Françoise Rochais, considered one of the world's best jugglers, seemed to defy gravity. Mag Marin made objects appear and vanish, Victor Cerro escaped from a heap of chains and padlocks, and French world champion of general magic Lea Kyle closed the night with lightning-fast costume changes.
Beyond the stage, performers visited three residential homes for older people and local organisations such as Mifas and Ksameu. An exhibition of posters featuring women magicians through history aimed to give them visibility in a profession long dominated by men. The town council has already confirmed its continued support, though no dates for a fifth edition have been announced.
The festival fits into a broader push by Figueres to fill its autumn calendar, alongside events like the castle cistern escape room and the Empordà Wine Fair. If crowds keep growing, organisers may soon need bigger venues or more sessions, and it remains to be seen whether council backing will translate into a bigger budget.
Can a small-town magic festival become a real draw for the region after the summer season, and does outreach to care homes and a focus on women magicians belong at the heart of such events?
-
Figueres magic festival fills venues in fourth edition
-
Figueres magic festival fills venues in fourth edition
-
Cap de Creus vineyard mosaic acts as firebreak near Roses
-
[email protected] On the rocky Cap de Creus peninsula at the northern tip of the Costa Brava, a wine estate shows that farming can double as fire protection. At Mas Marès, inside the Parc Natural del Cap de Creus, vines share the land with pasture, cork oak woodland, scrub, dry stone walls and open ground. This patchwork slows the spread of wildfire and helps shield the built-up area of Roses.
The project began in 2003. Anna Espelt, an oenologist, biologist and director of Espelt Viticultors, started working with the park's managers to revive a nearly forgotten way of managing land called the "mosaic agroforestal", or agroforestry mosaic. Instead of large, uniform blocks of crops or woodland, different land uses sit side by side. This supports biodiversity and keeps the landscape varied and able to recover from damage.
Every piece has a job. On the highest ground, transhumant cows that come down from the Pyrenees keep grass and low vegetation short. Lower down, terraces, cleared strips and cultivated plots break up the continuous plant cover. The dry stone walls, known as "marges de pedra seca", hold water, prevent soil erosion and shelter animals. Plant cover between the vine rows feeds insects, a rain-fed pond gives amphibians a place to breed, and a nesting tower has been built for kestrels.
The gaps in vegetation make it harder for flames to advance. They also give firefighters safer zones to work in. The model was tested during the fire of February 2022, when the mosaic helped hold back the flames.
The wider lesson is that when farming and grazing disappear from hillsides, vegetation grows back as a continuous mass that makes fires harder to stop. Worked, open land acts as a buffer. In the Alt Empordà, many homes, holiday properties and walking routes lie between the mountains and the coast, so this is a practical concern. The example also links fire safety with the region's strong wine culture and suggests that vineyards can protect the landscape as well as produce wine.
Will other estates and landowners around the natural park follow this approach? Should public bodies do more to support farming that also serves as fire prevention, perhaps by paying farmers and herders rather than only funding clearing crews? For now, the terraces, stone walls and grazing cattle along the road to Cap de Creus may be more than scenery, because they could be part of what keeps the area safe.
-
Cap de Creus vineyard mosaic acts as firebreak near Roses
-
Cap de Creus vineyard mosaic acts as firebreak near Roses
-
[email protected] Capmany, a small inland village in the Alt Empordà, hosts this year's county election of the Pubillatge Comarcal on Saturday, 3 October. Young candidates from eight municipalities are competing for the titles of Hereu and Pubilla de l'Alt Empordà: Cabanes, Capmany, Llançà, Figueres, Peralada, Vilafant, Vilanova de la Muga and Vilatenim.
The pubillatge is a Catalan tradition many international residents have never heard of. "Hereu" originally meant the heir of a family house, and "pubilla" meant the heiress. Over time, the words came to describe young people chosen to represent their town at festivals and cultural events. Each municipality picks its own representatives, who can then go on to selections at higher levels. Saturday's event is the county-wide round.
The candidates start the day with tests and exams in the morning, though their content hasn't been made public. From 4.30pm, a cercavila, a traditional street parade, winds through Capmany. The village's gegants join the parade. These giant processional figures are carried by bearers at festivals across Catalonia. At 5pm, the ceremony begins at the Centre Civil La Fraternal, where the new county representatives are proclaimed. The duo Covertons provides the music.
The Consell Comarcal de l'Alt Empordà organises the event together with the Foment del Pubillatge Català and Capmany Town Council. Their stated aim is to preserve the tradition and keep it alive. Saturday is busy elsewhere too. Castelló hosts an intergenerational escape room, and the old prison gardens in Figueres open to the public for the first time.
Castelló d'Empúries is missing from this year's list of participants, while small inland villages like Vilanova de la Muga and Vilatenim are taking part. Much of the region's local identity is sustained by small municipalities and volunteers rather than the big coastal towns. For newcomers curious about Catalan customs, the parade and ceremony are an open and easy way in. Should coastal communities like Castelló and Empuriabrava put forward their own candidates in future?
-
Capmany hosts Alt Empordà Pubillatge election on 3 October
-
Capmany hosts Alt Empordà Pubillatge election on 3 October
-
Capmany hosts Alt Empordà Pubillatge election on 3 October
-
Limbik Co. opens Cau de la Bruixa food space in Llers
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/limbik-co-opens-cau-de-la-bruixa-food-space-in-llers/
-
[email protected] Limbik Co., the craft brewery run by Xavi Pujol and one of the best-known artisan beer makers in the Empordà, has opened a new venue in the small Alt Empordà village of Llers. Its name is Cau de la Bruixa, roughly "the Witch's Den", and it takes the brand beyond bottles into a place where people can sit down, eat, drink and join in activities.
The concept is built around pairing Limbik's beers with food from nearby producers, an approach that is spreading across the county, from farm shops to events like the Lladó cheese fair. Guests share the room with the working "obrador", the production area where the beer is actually brewed. On Fridays and Saturdays there is a cultural programme: musical vermouth sessions (the Catalan pre-lunch drink-and-snack ritual, here with live music), early evening "vesprejos", workshops, tastings and beer pairings. Pujol calls it "a space open to everyone" with a pleasant, fun atmosphere.
New beers are also in the pipeline. Limbik is developing a dark beer meant to be full of flavour and unlike the styles most drinkers know. It will come in three different maturation formats, an unusual step for a small producer. The beer is planned as a tribute to Carles Bros, and one of his artworks will appear on the label. Already on the market is a beer brewed with local cherries.
Perhaps the most notable shift is toward drinks without alcohol. Pujol is considering an alcohol-free ginger beer suitable for all ages, and the company says it wants to add soft drinks and products such as Hop Water, a drink made with hops. That would open the brewery up to families and non-drinkers.
The move fits a wider pattern in the Alt Empordà, where local producers increasingly sell experiences, not just products, as wine events like Beu-te el museu and the Roses craft beer and music fair show. For residents of places like Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries, the weekend programme could offer something to do outside the summer season. Open questions remain as to when the dark beer will be released and whether the ginger beer and Hop Water will actually reach the market.
Would you visit a brewery that combines beer, local food and culture, and should craft brewers be putting more effort into alcohol-free alternatives?
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/limbik-co-opens-cau-de-la-bruixa-food-space-in-llers/
-
Limbik Co. opens Cau de la Bruixa food space in Llers
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/limbik-co-opens-cau-de-la-bruixa-food-space-in-llers/
-
Limbik Co. opens Cau de la Bruixa food space in Llers
https://empuriabrava-newsletter.com/2026/09/30/limbik-co-opens-cau-de-la-bruixa-food-space-in-llers/
-
[email protected] Patients in the Alt Empordà who need close monitoring no longer automatically have to make the trip to Girona. Since 14 September, the Hospital de Figueres has been running a new eight-bed Semi-Critical Care Unit inside its Emergency Department, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The unit replaces the hospital's former Monitoring Unit (UMO). The space was adapted and fitted with advanced technology, staffing was increased, and the assigned health workers received extra training in semi-intensive care. It is also linked in real time to the ICU at Trueta - Santa Caterina and the Trueta's Cardiovascular Critical Care Unit in Girona. Through a new platform called Critic.CAT, specialists there support colleagues in Figueres. The platform shares information between the reference hospital, the county hospitals and SEM, Catalonia's emergency medical service.
Figueres is the second hospital in the Girona Health Region to adopt this model, after Palamós in June. Olot is due to follow in the coming weeks.
The first numbers are encouraging. According to regional manager Jaume Heredia, five patients in the first two weeks would otherwise have had to be transferred to Girona. He says patients in county hospitals now receive care similar to that in the Trueta ICU. Teresa Cufí from Navata, whose father has heart problems and was among the first patients admitted, sees a simple benefit: more comfort and no journeys to Girona.
The Catalan Department of Health expects the model to add structural beds and reduce the number of critical patients sent outside the Girona region, currently around 60 a year. Fundació Salut Empordà, which runs the hospital, says the model avoids duplication and uses resources more efficiently.
For older residents and people with heart conditions in Empuriabrava, Castelló d'Empúries and the rest of the county, this could make a real difference. But two weeks is a short time to judge. Will the extra staffing last, how will eight beds cope with the summer population surge, and can remote specialist support really replace an on-site ICU when a patient's condition becomes critical?
-
Figueres hospital opens eight-bed semi-critical care unit
-
Figueres hospital opens eight-bed semi-critical care unit
-
Figueres hospital opens eight-bed semi-critical care unit
-
Puig de les Basses prison plans unit for young inmates
-
[email protected] The new director of Puig de les Basses prison near Figueres, appointed in mid-June, wants to create a separate unit for young inmates and bring a gender perspective to how the centre runs. About three months into the job, she describes feeling enthusiasm but also "a certain vertigo" about the responsibility. Her first priority is to keep a well-functioning prison running smoothly. Beyond that, she wants to "open new horizons."
The prison holds about 1,100 people. It opened with just over 700 inmates, peaked at 1,011, and regularly approaches 1,000 today. On 23 September it housed 879. Overcrowding and suicide prevention are challenges across the whole system. The basic Catalan suicide prevention protocol has not changed, but the number of specific measures has grown, including director's orders that add further preventive steps.
The main new project is the youth unit. By law, inmates aged 18 to 20 must be kept apart from the general population, and the prison applies this rule up to age 24. There are currently 108 inmates in that age group. The unit planned for them has room for about 60 and is now used by another group. The director argues that young people need different timing, more specific goals, an educational plan and "more tact," which is hard to provide when they are mixed with older inmates. The gap between 108 young inmates and 60 places is one of the clear open questions.
Women are a minority in the prison and also need specialised attention. One example shows the practical side. Her predecessor allowed female inmates to work in the staff cafeteria, but the changing rooms were never designed for women. A temporary fix is in place, and the director wants the facilities adapted so women can take any job in the prison.
Puig de les Basses is also the only prison with a Compensatory Intervention Unit (UIC) for vulnerable men. It launched as a pilot at the end of 2024, alongside a women's version at Brians 1. The Catalan prison authority is now evaluating it. The director has no data yet, but she reports that some inmates who were constantly involved in incidents have become stable, with clear improvements in behaviour and emotional wellbeing. She hopes the model will be extended to other prisons.
Other questions remain unresolved. On rising assaults against prison officers, she stresses prevention: making sure information reaches staff, knowing who is in each module, anticipating who may turn violent and enforcing the rules. On the cyberattack that hit the prison, she says the case is with the police and courts. Her message to staff, amid pressure from unions, is that the attack was detected early and everyone can remain calm for now.
Is targeted support for young, female and vulnerable inmates the right response to crowded prisons, or does it risk stretching already strained staff and space even further?
-
Puig de les Basses prison plans unit for young inmates
-
Puig de les Basses prison plans unit for young inmates
-
[email protected] Figueres switches to a new waste collection service on 5 October, and the most visible change will be on the streets: 1,043 containers across the capital of the Alt Empordà are being replaced. But the new contract goes further than fresh bins. For the first time, the town will collect the organic fraction separately, meaning food scraps and other biodegradable kitchen waste, along with used vegetable cooking oil.
Households are already being prepared. The council has started handing out 20,000 aerated caddies for kitchen food waste, together with compostable bags that go straight into the organic bin instead of being sorted as plastic. Since Figueres has never had separate organic collection before, many residents will have to learn a new daily routine and keep kitchen scraps apart from general rubbish.
The equipment is being renewed as well. All machinery will be new, and around twenty vehicles will enter service, which the council describes as faster and more efficient than the old fleet. Collection is being extended, a pre-collection stage ("prerecollida") is being added, and container cleaning will be stepped up, a response to one of the most common complaints about street bins.
Businesses are joining the new model in stages. Shops have had door-to-door collection since July, with waste picked up directly from each business rather than left in shared containers. In November, industrial collection will start on the "polígons", the industrial estates on the edge of town. That matters well beyond Figueres itself: many people from Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries work, shop or run businesses in the county capital, and anyone with premises there should expect changes in the coming months.
To reassure residents, the municipal government presented the service on the Rambla and promised it will not hit taxpayers' pockets, because the waste fee will be frozen for 2027. The overhaul is part of a busy autumn of municipal projects, alongside the new green zone car park in Poble Nou and upcoming street works on carrer Balmes.
The real test comes in the first weeks after 5 October: how quickly households adopt organic sorting, and how smoothly the new containers and vehicles perform. An open question is whether the fee freeze will survive beyond 2027 once the full costs of the new service become clear. Would separate organic collection change your habits, and do you trust the promise of stable fees?
-
Figueres waste service: 1,043 bins replaced from 5 October
-
Figueres waste service: 1,043 bins replaced from 5 October
-
Figueres waste service: 1,043 bins replaced from 5 October
-
Figueres plans 50-metre gap between some city centre shops
-
[email protected] Figueres wants to keep certain shops at least 50 metres apart in its city centre. The City Council says businesses that cluster together are harming the image of the area, and it has spent several months preparing a special plan for commercial uses to address this. According to local outlet Hora Nova, the plan could go to the November plenary for initial approval.
Five types of business are targeted: 24-hour supermarkets, mobile phone accessory shops, manicure and nail salons, takeaway food outlets, and shops selling cannabis products and derivatives such as CBD. Besides the minimum distance, the plan would define "priority" business types for each zone, giving the council a say in what fills each street. The rules would cover the whole historic centre plus several busy shopping streets outside it, including carrer Sant Pau, carrer Vilafant, carrer Nou and carrer de la Jonquera.
The council calls the plan a tool to "bring order" to commerce and to restore "balance" in "the commercial mix that every city must have". Mayor Jordi Masquef points to a precedent: in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Figueres restricted new bank branches on the Rambla, its main promenade.
There is also a legal workaround behind the plan. Current rules require a town to wait five years after approving its POUM, the municipal urban development plan, before it can declare a moratorium. By choosing a special plan instead, the council can impose a temporary moratorium on new openings as soon as the plan receives initial approval. That freeze would last until final approval. The full text has not been published, and details may still change.
The plan matters well beyond the city limits. Figueres is the capital of the Alt Empordà and the main shopping and administrative town for places like Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries. It also fits a wider regional trend of councils using planning powers to shape how property is used, as the recent debate over the tourist flat decree showed.
Open questions remain. Will the plan reach the November plenary on schedule? How long will the moratorium last? How will affected shop owners respond, and will other towns in the comarca follow? Is distance-based zoning a fair way to protect historic centres and diversify high streets, or does it unfairly single out certain businesses and their owners?
-
Figueres plans 50-metre gap between some city centre shops
-
Figueres plans 50-metre gap between some city centre shops
-
[email protected] Figueres has opened a new neighbourhood car park in Poble Nou, adding 25 spaces on the Via Emporitana site, opposite the Spar supermarket on the corner with Tallaferro. Rather than building something new, the council converted the existing Via Emporitana car park to fit a new parking regime.
That regime arrives on Thursday 1 October, when the whole of Poble Nou switches to a green zone ("area verda"). Unlike the blue zone ("zona blava") familiar from town centres, the green zone gives residents priority. A two-week trial ran from 15 to 30 September to test the system, inform the public and let drivers adjust. From 1 October, fees apply to residents and visitors alike.
Priority does not mean exclusion. Non-residents can still park in the new spaces at blue zone prices. The first 15 minutes are free, after which parking costs €1.20 per hour. Charges only apply during the day. From Monday to Saturday, parking is free between 9pm and 9am, and it is free all day on Sundays and public holidays. A quick supermarket run or an evening visit can therefore cost nothing.
The council has not yet published what residents themselves will pay for permits, which leaves one of the most relevant questions open just as charging begins.
Three groups feel the change most. Poble Nou residents should find it easier to park near home as regulation spreads across town. People driving in to shop, work or visit family can still park, but will now pay during charging hours. Visitors from the wider Alt Empordà, including drivers from Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries, benefit most from the free 15 minutes and the free nights, Sundays and holidays.
The project is small, but the direction is clear. Figueres is moving towards regulated zones that favour residents while still letting outsiders in for a price. The free short stay looks designed to keep local shops like the neighbouring supermarket accessible, balancing residents' need for spaces against businesses that depend on passing trade. The measure also fits a wider pattern of changes to traffic in the town, alongside number plate cameras at the town entrances, a shuttle bus to the castle and upcoming works on carrer Balmes in Els Pins.
Several questions remain open. Was a two-week trial long enough to prepare drivers, and how will residents react once they actually start paying? If demand for the 25 spaces proves strong, similar conversions could follow in other neighbourhoods. Is resident-priority parking a fair way to share scarce street space, or does it simply push the problem, and the cost, onto everyone else?
-
Figueres opens 25-space green zone car park in Poble Nou