Madrid City Council has awarded Savills an €8,700 economic study to analyse the requalification of Real Madrid's land in Valdebebas, a preliminary step for the Madrid Innovation District project promoted by Florentino Pérez.
The Madrid City Council, governed by José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has awarded a minor contract of €8,700 to the consultancy Savills to carry out an economic study on the requalification of Real Madrid's land in Valdebebas. This procedure, dated June 26, is the first administrative step for the club to develop the Madrid Innovation District, an ambitious technology campus promoted by president Florentino Pérez.
A project that divides candidates
The awarding of the study coincides with Florentino Pérez's re-election as president of Real Madrid on June 7, where he defeated his rival Enrique Riquelme. The latter proposed a very different model for the site: a Partner City with leisure spaces, a concert hall, and a luxury hotel, contrasting with Pérez's technological approach.
The club's land in Valdebebas occupies 1.2 million square metres, with a buildable area of 360,000 square metres. Currently, it is classified for private sports facility use, which allows training fields but not a technology campus. For this, the club needs a reclassification to tertiary use, which is more profitable and allows for educational, leisure, or accommodation services.
A long bureaucratic path
Municipal sources have explained that the contracted economic study is necessary for the Partial Modification of the General Urban Planning Plan, a procedure that will include public exposure and several sectoral reports. After this study, an environmental document and other legal reports are expected before the project is approved by the City Council's Governing Board.
The process, which could extend for months, will include a period for citizen objections and will require final approval from the Madrid City Council Plenary and the endorsement of the Community of Madrid. The minor contract, located by the account of X Hilos Valdebebas, has gone almost unnoticed until now.
For the residents of Valdebebas, this requalification will mean a significant change in the neighbourhood. The technology campus could attract companies and jobs, but it may also generate more traffic and urban pressure. Residents will be able to submit objections during the public exposure period, which will be announced in the coming months.
Real Madrid has already indicated that the project aims to generate new income for the club, in a context of competition with other major European clubs. The plot, currently fallow, is one of the largest land reserves of the club in the capital.
Next steps and deadlines
Once the studies are completed, the City Council will submit the project for public information, where anyone interested can consult the details and submit objections. The final approval will depend on the municipal plenary and the regional government, which must give their approval for the requalification.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will continue to use part of the land for its training, awaiting the urban project to take shape. The expectation is that the Madrid Innovation District could begin construction in the coming years, if it passes all the procedures.
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