The new local government of Santiago is working on a “revitalization plan” for the Praza de Abastos with the aim of boosting the market of the Galician capital, the second most visited point of the city after the Cathedral. In the opinion of Xan duro, councilman of Compostela Aberta, the Market “cannot become a crowded spot for tourists and lose its original function”. Among the measures being considered is the possibility of extending opening hours, allowing traders to open some evenings during the week to offer “a better service to residents”, as indicated by Compostela Aberta, which is responsible for the powers related to the Praza in the BNG-CA government.

“We are evaluating the possibility of promoting a pilot project in which those Market stalls that wish to do so would participate on a voluntary basis. We are aware, and we have been informed, that this is not a realistic option for all Market vendors due to the way they have configured their business model,” says the councilman of Mobility, Coexistence and Socio-Cultural Centers, Xan Duro, who has held several meetings in the last two weeks with different groups of the Praza. Afternoon openings would allow people who, for example, work from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to shop at the Market in the evening.

“I still have some more meetings pending to know the assessment of the situation and the needs that the Market has at the moment. Our intention is to give a new impetus to the Praza and also to implement initiatives that allow us to open the many stalls of the Market that are currently closed,” emphasizes the councilman responsible for everything related to the Compostela Market.

In addition to the extension of opening hours, which would allow vendors to open in the evenings, from Compostela Aberta emphasize that “the Praza de Abastos can not become a place saturated with tourists and lose its original function”. “It must continue to be an element of commercial dynamization, a place specialized in the sale of fresh and local products, and it must continue to be the place where the hotel and catering business and the neighbors of Santiago are supplied”, emphasizes Xan Duro, thus ruling out the expansion of the hotel and catering use beyond building 5, as proposed by the owners of the businesses located in that space of the Praza. Last March, they presented a project that included the placement of a total of 21 tables among the 11 catering establishments. These tables would be located at various points, such as Rua das Ameas, the facade of the warehouse and inside the Market.

Following the presentation of this proposal, the possible placement of these tables generated controversy among vendors. Some were in favor of an ordinance because it would avoid scenes of people eating everywhere and littering common spaces. They argued that this could improve the image of the Praza, as it is better for people to be sitting at a table than eating in any corner. They also point out that anything that attracts people will benefit the Praza as a whole.

On the other hand, there are traders who do not see with good eyes that hospitality businesses “want to take over the entire market”, since “not only lives of tourism” and there are “many regular customers who are bothered by the number of people who can get to be”. In any case, Raxoi is not in favor of giving more space to the proposal to expand hospitality uses beyond building 5.

In relation to the future of the Market, the previous local government approved a project with a budget of 519,342 euros to repair several areas of the Praza, including three canopies, vertical blinds, sliding doors and the electrical panel of the central nave. The canopies close to the wall and those between the bays would account for more than 65% of the budget allocated to this rehabilitation project. Nearly 340,000 euros would be used to replace these canopies, which currently cause water leaks in the roof.

This intervention would consist of increasing the slope of the glass, improving the anchorages and replacing the current interior false ceiling with an easy-to-maintain one. In the case of the canopies between the bays, a solution would be sought that respects the structure of the bays and allows the view of the central tower to be recovered.