Urban Development, Works and Equipment
DESCRIPTION
This project is a major urban undertaking designed to create a business centre in the vicinity of Chamartín Station and develop a residential and productive expansion north of the M-30 ring road in the district of Fuencarral-El Pardo.
The plan is to create a central business district in the area around Chamartín Station to serve as a hub of service-industry economic activity that will in turn be linked to the major transport hub entailed by the station and the future transport interchange planned for the area (bus-metro-commuter rail).
The plan also involves two other elements located north of the M-30: a residential area to be developed as a natural extension of the urban centre of Fuencarral, and a mixed area along the western edge of Las Tablas. These sites have the potential to impact the area of activity associated with Fuencarral's productive industrial estates and the A-1 motorway while complementing the residential and civic land uses of Fuencarral's historic centre and the Tres Olivos expansion.
OBJECTIVES
This undertaking aims to provide a use for the large amount of unzoned land in the north of the city, located in a key area which is affected by the great urban divide entailed by the train tracks which significantly limit east-west connectivity in this part of the city.
The result will be an integrated zone that offers a diverse range of opportunities for the business sector as well as service sector-related leisure and commercial activities, in addition to rounding out the residential and civic milieu with a development strategy designed to respect the area's urban and historical fabric.
To this end, in the area south of the M-30 the aim is to create a top-tier hub inside and around Chamartín Station that will be a major centre of business and activity which is primarily connected to the area’s five skyscrapers. Chamartín Station will also be remodelled to enable it to meet new functional requirements (high-speed, medium-haul, long-haul trains, commuter rail).
In the area north of the M-30, the aim is to create a residential zone as the expanded centre of Fuencarral that could potentially rectify civic shortcomings and extend the Cuarteles de Valverde industrial park by incorporating technology-associated uses, in addition to completing the western edge of Las Tablas, readying it for the addition of residential and service-sector land use that will complement the current uses, and influencing the nature of the territory following construction of the new BBVA headquarters.
PLANNING PROCESS
The scope of the work had remained in the planning stages for 23 years, with various plans drawn up that were ultimately unable to reach the development stage due to various internal and external issues. In 2016, after a period of analysis and discussion with broad public participation, the undertaking “Madrid Northern Gate” (“Madrid Puerta Norte”) was presented as detailed in the document “Foundations and Strategies for the Formulation of a Planning Alternative for Developing the North of Madrid”.
After the proposal's parameters had been shared with and reviewed by direct stakeholders (Madrid City Council, Ministry of Public Works-ADIF and the company Distrito Castellana Norte (DCN), as part owner of the property, and taking into account some of the residents’ demands), in July 2017 a statement of intent was presented which contains a general framework for action that allows for reassessment of physical and urban planning constraints and analysis of economic feasibility and the territory's effective capacity to sustain actual construction of the theoretical zoning figures required to meet the desired objectives.
Continuation of the work was finally given the go-ahead in documents associated with an Amendment to the 1997 General Urban Development Plan, which was submitted for administrative processing and received final approval from the Governing Council of the Community of Madrid on 25 March 2020. This urban development document provides for the following key elements:
- Creation of four different areas for development: two south of the M-30 (Chamartín Station and Chamartín Business Centre) and two north of the M-30 (“Malmea-San Roque-Tres Olivos” and “Las Tablas Oeste”)
- A revamp of Chamartín Station as a key element of Madrid's new business centre
- Promotion of public transport and limitation of private car parks in connection with the business centre
- Specification of land uses
These objectives are complemented by criteria associated with the new sustainability framework and the territorial model of Madrid City Council: harmonise and rebalance the city; regenerate and recover the urban space and heritage; promote access to decent housing; improve traffic, infrastructure for road transport and parking; establish an intervention strategy for mobility and public transport; and improve Madrid’s position among major global cities.
DURATION
Following approval of the Amendment to the General Plan by Agreement of the Governing Council of the Community of Madrid on 25 March 2020, and ratification on 20 July 2021 of the Partnership Agreement to coordinate, finance and carry out the individual actions provided for in the Amendment to the General Plan, it is estimated that the urban development project culminating in the construction phase could take roughly 15-20 years.
THE PROJECT IN NUMBERS
Madrid Nuevo Norte (Madrid New North). Sizeable figures. The project is divided into four areas, with planning permission as listed below for housing and business activity:
Name of zone M² of housing M² of business activity
1. Chamartín Station 0 180,000
2. Chamartín Business Centre 260,000 1,040,000
3. Malmea-San Roque-Tres Olivos 714,338 250,983
4. Las Tablas 74,197 137,795
Total 1,048,535 1,608,778
Number of homes planned by zone:
1. Chamartín Station 0
2. Chamartín Business Centre 2,595
3. Malmea-San Roque-Tres Olivos 7,139
4. Las Tablas 742
Total 10,476
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
