Real Madrid hit stadium development snag
Real Madrid has suffered a fresh blow in its efforts to redevelop the Santiago Bernabeu stadium after the city council rejected the plans, stating they were not in the public interest.
The city has said it will only accept a redevelopment proposal that does not impact on the interests of local citizens. Spanish newspaper Marca said a representative from Sustainable Urban Development, José Manuel Calvo, stated that the council is open to proposals “provided they are compatible with public interest”.
The latest development comes after Real was in February forced to put redevelopment plans for its Santiago Bernabeu home on hold after the High Court of Madrid overturned a previous agreement for the renovation of the stadium.
In January 2014, Real selected a proposal from GMP Architekten and L35 as the winner of the international design competition to transform its Santiago Bernabeu home into what it claims will be the best stadium in the world. The redevelopment project is expected to cost around €400m ($433.6m) and its design is highlighted by striking metallic-look cladding that will envelop the entire stadium, which currently seats just over 80,000 fans.
Under the proposal, a new-look Bernabeu will feature a retractable roof that will open and close in 15 minutes, while a new tier will be added to the east side of the facility. A new shopping complex and hotel will be located inside the building, while the stadium will benefit from the latest in venue technology with a 360-degree video ribbon board set to be located within the roof itself.
The High Court of Madrid intervened due to the club having been under investigation by the European Commission for illegal state aid in a related land deal. The investigation related to the city council reclaiming land for a value of more than €22m in the Las Tablas area of Madrid in 2011 after erroneously selling it to Real for less than €500,000 13 years earlier. By way of compensation, the club was given land surrounding the Bernabeu and in the Opanel and Valdebebas areas.
Real Madrid built its current training complex in Valdebebas, but the 2012 agreement granted the council repossession of the Opanel land and pledged to create a public park in exchange for developing a planned commercial outlet adjacent to the Bernabeu.
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