Valencia unveils updated City Hall square plan with 1,300 m2 more space for mascletà

What the updated plan changes

Valencia's city council presented the updated draft of the Plaza del Ayuntamiento redesign on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, covering 38,506.01 square metres. The intervention takes in the square itself, the northern stretch of San Vicente and Marqués de Sotelo up to Xàtiva. The central area kept clear for mascletà firing measures 2,297 square metres, according to El Mundo, and the plan adds more than 1,300 square metres of public space south of the firing zone. The central elliptical paving, which evokes the volaorets pyrotechnic motif, is now aligned with the symmetry axis of the city hall building. The council describes the square as a meeting place that combines everyday, commercial and festive uses, rather than a simple garden or park.

Total intervention area38,506.01

Clear central space for mascletà firing2,297

Total intervention area

38506.01 m2

Clear central space for mascletà firing

2297 m2

Data from the article text

Flower market and ceramic stalls

The flower market returns to individual stalls, a change the council attributes to requests from florists. Each stall will be clad in artisanal Valencian ceramic and personalised with floral motifs, colours and the logo of its business. El Mundo reports that the cladding is being developed by Nua Terra with VAM10 and uses basalt and crushed stone recovered from the demolition of the square. The design adds a small storage loft and reinforces the roof structures, and pergolas and walkways are planned around the stalls so visitors can browse the products. The council's account of the square's uses names the market alongside the fireworks, the Fallas and local hospitality.

Consultation and the council's account

The updated draft follows a participatory process and a round of consultations led by the Urbanism delegation, which ran until July 2026. Consulted groups included the flower stalls, the Junta Central Fallera, Piroval, Vinatea, the Ateneo Mercantil, Lo Rat Penat, the historic centre traders' group, restaurants with terraces, the newspaper sellers' association, neighbourhood associations and six hotels through HOSBEC. The council says the process let it keep the cultural and historic references that give the square its identity. In its communiqué, the council puts the point this way:

“It is, therefore, a square that could only be in València.”

Beyond the Fallas, the council lists the other events the square hosts and public transport among the uses the design accommodates.

Previous plan and political reaction

The draft replaces a proposal that won an international ideas competition run by the previous city government of Compromís and PSPV. Mayor María José Catalá paused that proposal soon after taking office so the design team could rework it. El Mundo describes the earlier concept as a green lung in the city centre, which the updated design has reshaped into a space for all the square's current uses. El País reports that the Socialists have announced they will appeal this presentation before the Junta Electoral. The articles do not give a start date for the works.

Traffic, safety and access

The plan widens the passages on Marqués de Sotelo so two fallera commissions can pass at once while evacuation routes stay guaranteed. EMT buses keep their route across a single reversible platform paved in granite slabs or cobblestones, which avoids asphalt. Anti-terrorist protection will come from bollards placed according to police guidance. The council says emergency access, loading and unloading, resident access and public transport passage are all maintained. El Mundo adds that the layout can host stands and viewing platforms for parades such as cabalgatas.