San Fernando de Henares will have a new park. The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced last week the construction of a new urban park of 12,000 square meters in San Fernando de Henares. This project will be carried out on the former site of the El Pilar complex, which was demolished to facilitate work on line 7B of the Metro.
San Fernando de Henares.
The new green space will have an investment of five million euros and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025. Work will begin in January 2024, when the surrounding streets will be upgraded. The planned areas will include sports, children’s and recreational areas, with both sunny and shaded spaces, adapted for different age groups.
A park with controversy
The works for the construction of the park coincide with the waterproofing works being carried out along Metro line 7B, whose infrastructure has been severely affected by water seepage problems. This is, according to official sources, the main reason for the damage that has forced the eviction of 87 homes and affected 183 people.
The Socialist mayor of San Fernando de Henares, Javier Corpa, has criticized the management of the project, considering that there are other priorities in what he describes as a “drama” for local residents. Corpa has expressed that the efforts of the Community of Madrid should first focus on solving the structural problems of line 7B and guaranteeing the safety and stability of the affected homes before proceeding with new urban development works.
Economic compensation and neighborhood opinions
To date, the regional executive has paid compensation to 67 families in the locality, amounting to almost ten million euros. In addition, the regional government has announced that it will subsidize 100% of the taxes related to the acquisition of new homes for the victims. However, there are still neighbors to receive financial compensation and some buildings to be rehabilitated.
Juan Fuentes, representative of the Presa-Rafael Alberti association of affected people, said in statements reported by the newspaper El País: “I think it is very hasty, given that 16 homes are being demolished these days and those affected still do not know when their meager compensation will be paid and others are waiting for their homes, from which they have been evicted, to be rehabilitated”.