The City Council of San Fernando de Henares is holding an extraordinary Plenary session this Thursday to demand that the Community of Madrid take responsibility for the imminent ruin of four buildings on Nazario Calonge street, affected by the works of the Metro line 7B.
The City Council of San Fernando de Henares has convened an extraordinary Plenary session for this Thursday, July 30, with a single item on the agenda: to approve an institutional declaration demanding that the Community of Madrid act immediately regarding the situation of the buildings located at numbers 12, 14, 16, and 18 on Nazario Calonge street.
The text to be voted on, as revealed from the agenda, urges the regional government to recognise itself as the responsible Administration for the problems arising from the Metro line 7B, which have led these properties to a state of imminent ruin. The declaration also demands that the Community take technical control of the situation, carry out the necessary repairs, and proceed with the relocation of the affected families.
The session is scheduled for 15:00 in the Plenary Hall of the City Hall, and it can be followed live through the official channels of the City Council. The local government team has expressed its concern over the worsening of cracks and structural damage in these blocks, which have necessitated increased surveillance in the area.
A problem that has dragged on for years
The residents of Nazario Calonge street have been reporting issues in their homes for years, which they attribute to leaks and ground movements caused by the construction and subsequent operation of the Metro line 7B. The situation has worsened in recent months, with detachments in facades and damage that jeopardises the safety of the residents.
The City Council of San Fernando de Henares has previously made requests to the Community of Madrid, but considers that the response has been insufficient. With this declaration, the City Council aims to take a further step and force the regional Administration to assume its responsibilities in housing and urban planning, as well as to coordinate a definitive solution.
Municipal sources have indicated that the relocation of families is a priority, and that the declaration includes an explicit request to ensure a dignified housing alternative for those affected while the repair works are ongoing.
What this declaration means for the residents
If approved, the declaration would become a mandate from the Plenary that the City Council could use to support future legal or administrative actions against the Community of Madrid. It would also serve to highlight the housing emergency faced by the residents of these four blocks, some of whom have already had to leave their homes for safety reasons.
The spokesperson for the government team has insisted that this is not a political confrontation, but a legitimate claim based on technical reports linking the damage to the Metro infrastructure. “What we are asking is for the Community of Madrid to face its responsibilities and not leave these people alone,” they emphasised from the City Council.
This Thursday's session comes at a time of maximum tension for those affected, who have staged protests and collected signatures to demand solutions. The extraordinary Plenary is, for many of them, a last hope for the problem to be brought to the regional political agenda.
The role of the Metro line 7B
The Metro line 7B of Madrid, which connects the capital with the municipalities of San Fernando de Henares and Coslada, has been embroiled in controversy since its inauguration in 2007 due to water leakage and ground subsidence issues in the tunnel. In 2017, a section of the line had to be closed for several months for emergency works to repair the tracks and infrastructure.
The residents of Nazario Calonge street claim that the works on the line, which runs at a shallow depth beneath their homes, have caused ground subsidence and structural damage that now manifests as cracks and detachments. The City Council of San Fernando de Henares has commissioned expert reports that support this relationship, which will be the basis of the claim.
The Community of Madrid, for its part, has repeatedly denied its responsibility for the damages, although it has carried out some specific consolidation actions. The affected residents believe that these measures are insufficient and that the definitive solution requires a comprehensive intervention in the buildings.
Thus, this Thursday's Plenary is another step in a standoff between the City Council of San Fernando de Henares and the regional Government, with the safety and right to decent housing for dozens of families as the backdrop.
The session will be broadcast live and can be followed through the municipal website. The City Council recommends that residents who wish to watch it use updated browsers such as Google Chrome or Firefox and keep their devices up to date to ensure proper viewing.
The decision made by the Plenary will be known at the end of the session, presumably late in the afternoon. Those affected have already announced that they will continue to mobilise until the Community of Madrid sits down to negotiate a definitive solution.
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