Madrid City Council’s Delegate for Sustainable Development, José Manuel Calvo, welcomes the support of the four political groups at the municipal plenary session for this plan, and describes it as “historic”.
“We believe that reaching a consensus with other administrations, regardless of their political stripe, is very positive,” he added.
Madrid City Council has given Madrid Nuevo Norte its initial approval. Madrid City Council’s Delegate for Sustainable Urban Development, José Manuel Calvo, made an announcement to that effect at the press conference following the Regional Government’s meeting at Palacio de Cibeles today. In the words of the delegate, “it is a project for the city of Madrid”.
The initial approval granted today is an important milestone for Madrid Nuevo Norte, as it is the first cornerstone of a project that has achieved the highest consensus possible among institutions, political parties, and citizens.
A public consultation that will last for 45 working days will begin next week, followed by the provisional approval process at the plenary session of the City Council. Calvo announced that, although the City Council intends to hold a Plenary before the end of this year, it is likely that it will be delayed until early 2019, due to the tight deadline. In any case, the delegate has clarified that the provisional approval will undoubtedly be granted in this legislature, before the elections in May.
The municipal representative considers that this plan will have the support of the four political groups in the chamber, describing it as “historic”, as it had never happened before. “We want this project to be widely supported by everyone because it does not belong to this government only, although we have had the fortune and ability to realise it”. He also stressed that the project has the support of the Ministry of Public Works, regardless of its political colour, both now and when the People’s Party was sitting in government. “We think that we having been able to agree with other administrations of a different political stripe is a positive outcome”.
Antonio Béjar, President of Distrito Castellana Norte, welcomed the step taken today by the City Council. “This initial approval is proof that the regeneration of northern Madrid is already a reality and there is no turning back”. He has also added that this is a consensus project, which will benefit not only the city of Madrid but also the entire country because people and quality of life are a priority in 21st-century urbanism.
Béjar stressed that Madrid Nuevo Norte is “the best example of the optimal outcome that can be achieved when public and private sectors work hand-in-hand in the interest of the citizens”. “For our part,” added the president of DCN, “we renew our commitment to the citizens and administrations concerned to bring the best project possible to Madrid”.
Since July 2017 when the stakeholders signed the first framework agreement that laid the groundwork for Madrid Nuevo Norte, the joint work achieved in the past year has further strengthened this consensus and served to delve deeper into the details of the project, moving from a simple drawing to a comprehensive, well-defined urban plan.
This historic agreement, further reinforced with the initial approval, is the outcome of the shared commitment of Public Administrations and Distrito Castellana Norte with the citizens of Madrid to provide the best possible project for the capital.
