Madrid City Council’s Double Standard: Montecarmelo Residents Uncover Contradictory Internal Document
Madrid, Spain – A bombshell internal document from 2018 has exposed what Montecarmelo residents are calling a blatant double standard by the Madrid City Council. The document, obtained by the ‘No Al Cantón’ Platform, explicitly advises against locating cleaning depots near residential zones, directly contradicting the Council’s current plans to build such a facility just 150 meters from homes and 60 meters from a school in Montecarmelo.
The controversy centers around the planned construction of a cleaning depot and a base for the Urban Cleaning Service (SELUR) in Montecarmelo. Residents have long protested the location, citing concerns about noise, odors, and heavy vehicle traffic impacting approximately 4,000 children across four nearby educational centers. The newly unearthed document, associated with the Madrid Nuevo Norte development project, reveals that the City Council itself previously acknowledged the need for such facilities to be situated away from residential areas to “avoid possible nuisances to citizens.”
The 2018 Internal Memo: A Smoking Gun?
The internal memo from 2018, published on the City Council’s own website, discusses the necessity of a “clean point” and a “waste collection park” to serve the city. It specifies that these facilities require a minimum area of 3,000 and 10,000 square meters, respectively, and crucially, “should not be located near residential areas.” The document even suggests a specific plot near Madrid Nuevo Norte for such a purpose.
However, the Madrid City Council, through a spokesperson from the Urban Planning department led by Borja Carabante, denies any contradiction. They argue that the Montecarmelo facility does not fit the descriptions of the larger “clean point” or “waste collection park” mentioned in the 2018 document. Instead, they refer to another section of the same document that defines a “street cleaning depot” as a smaller facility (550 square meters) that should be centrally located for operational efficiency.
Residents Cry Foul: “Don’t Keep Deceiving Us”
The ‘No Al Cantón’ Platform vehemently rejects the City Council’s explanation, labeling it as another tactic to obscure the true nature of the Montecarmelo project. Residents point out that despite the Council’s use of varying technical terms, the Montecarmelo facility, at 10,000 square meters, aligns more closely with the characteristics of a “clean point” and a “waste collection park” – precisely the types of infrastructure deemed unsuitable for residential surroundings in the 2018 document.
“Don’t keep deceiving us, and don’t deceive the rest of those affected by cleaning depots in Madrid,” state the residents. They recall a previous Urban Planning plenary session where Carabante dismissed alternative locations for the depot, including the very site proposed in the 2018 document for Madrid Nuevo Norte. At the time, Carabante stated that the location of a depot is decided by “technical services.” This, residents argue, makes the current document, signed by the Director General of Cleaning and Waste Services, Víctor Sarabia, even more damning.
Judicial Ruling and Environmental Concerns
The City Council’s insistence that Montecarmelo will “not be an industrial facility” also clashes with a judicial ruling from April 2025. The Contentious-Administrative Court of Madrid annulled the Montecarmelo depot project, explicitly classifying it as an industrial facility. The court’s decision highlighted plans for a heavy vehicle repair shop, a gas station, electric vehicle charging points, and waste evaluation activities – all indicative of an industrial operation.
If the City Council were to acknowledge its industrial nature, the plot would, by Carabante’s own past statements, need to be located in an “industrial park.” This would also necessitate an environmental impact assessment, a hurdle residents believe the project would struggle to clear due to its proximity to homes and schools.
The Unanswered Questions and the “Scorched Earth” Tactic
The mystery of why the “clean point” projected for Montecarmelo in 2018 evolved into a machinery park, while the Madrid Nuevo Norte depot was abandoned, remains unsolved for residents. Many suspect that the answer lies in the differing commercial interests of the two areas, suggesting that the City Council is unwilling to devalue the nascent Madrid Nuevo Norte development with a SELUR base, while Montecarmelo is seen as a less sensitive area.
Despite the residents’ efforts to delay construction, the City Council has reportedly accelerated building the facility, leading to accusations of a “scorched earth” tactic – pushing ahead with construction to make any future legal reversal impossible. The fight for Montecarmelo continues, with residents determined to hold their local government accountable for its apparent contradictions and disregard for community well-being.
Source: https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2026-02-17/los-vecinos-de-montecarmelo-denuncian-que-el-consistorio-admitio-en-una-nota-interna-de-2028-que-el-canton-debe-estar-lejos-de-las-viviendas.html
