Collections of signatures and demonstrations have not been enough for the trees of the emblematic Santa Ana to keep their place. Associations and neighbors of the neighborhood of Las Letras have been fighting to preserve the green areas of the square since July, but the remodeling of the subway parking that is now in the hands of Grupo Ortiz has outweighed the claims: the reform of the parking deck has meant that the surface of the square has been raised, and with it, that most of the plantations that were preserved there are cut down.
This news contrasts with the recognition that Madrid has just received: the UN has awarded the title of Tree City to the capital for the sixth consecutive year. According to the city council, “it is one of the most wooded cities in the world with 5.7 million trees and 6,000 hectares of green areas”.
Madrid City Council’s response
The Madrid City Council assures that the Santa Ana parking lot has been one of the most profitable in Madrid since its construction in 1966. Now, despite its size (it has three subway floors) and strategic location, its infrastructure is so deteriorated that it has caused several episodes of leaks. That is why the city council decided to put out to tender the renovation and subsequent use of the space.
According to municipal spokeswoman Inma Sanz, the initiative “contemplates the integral rehabilitation of the building to be able to exploit and maintain it”. This will make it possible to create “110 spaces for resident and commercial subscribers; five carsharing spaces; five micrologistic spaces; 7 workshop spaces and 30 recharging points”.