Madrid City Council Faces Prevarication Complaint Over Unauthorized Park in Protected Green Zone
The Madrid Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed a prevarication complaint against the Madrid City Council, specifically targeting the head of contracting, for allegedly proposing and awarding a contract for a large children’s park in the Dehesa de la Villa without the mandatory heritage reports. This development marks a significant escalation in a controversy that has seen strong opposition from local residents.
The Battle of the “Palitroques”
The year 2025 was defined by a fierce struggle for residents of the Dehesa de la Villa against the so-called “palitroques” – a massive wooden children’s installation whose size and characteristics deeply displeased the community. The dispute has now moved from local mobilization to the courts.
Last November, the association Madrid, Ciudadanía y Patrimonio, lodged a complaint with the Directorate General of Heritage of the Community of Madrid, demanding “the immediate reversal of the work carried out and the return of the affected area to its previous state.” The Community of Madrid’s government, through its Environment Unit, forwarded the complaint to the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, initiating a formal investigation.
Prosecutor’s Findings: Omission of Mandated Authorizations
After reviewing information from the City Council’s Urban Planning Department (the project was promoted by the Directorate General of Green Zones) and the Institutional Commission for the Protection of Historical, Artistic, and Natural Heritage, the Prosecutor’s Office concluded that there was an “omission in the municipal contracting file of the mandatory authorizations regarding cultural protection.” This is deemed inconsistent with actions in an area declared a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC), such as the Dehesa de la Villa.
The prosecutor highlighted the responsibility of the head of contracting for “the approval of the file and its award without having previously processed these authorizations.” These omissions are believed to constitute a crime of prevarication, as defined in Article 404 of the Penal Code.
A BIC Declaration and a Swift Award
A crucial element in this case is the declaration of the Dehesa de la Villa as a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC) in the category of Cultural Landscape in December 2024. This designation significantly raises the bar for conservation precautions and mandates that any intervention in the area must undergo scrutiny by the Institutional Commission for the Protection of Historical Heritage. The BIC recognition was published in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid on December 11, 2024. The project was awarded just two days later, on December 13, 2024, although the tender process had begun in August 2024.
Specifically, the tender for the supply, installation, and adaptation of recreational areas in the Dehesa de la Villa park was awarded to the company LAPPSET ESPAÑA V.R. for 493,375.31 euros (599,984.05 euros including VAT) on August 18, 2024, with the signature of the Delegate of the Government Area of Urban Planning, Environment, and Mobility, Borja Carabante.
When questioned by this media outlet, the Madrid City Council argued that the project was conceived before the BIC declaration. However, they stated that once the declaration became effective, the project was suspended, revised, and resubmitted to the CLPH (Commission for the Protection of Historic-Artistic and Natural Heritage of the City of Madrid), where it was approved with three rectified requirements.
“Palitroques”: A Tale of Neighborhood Discontent
The controversy surrounding the children’s play area, which is currently halted, began when residents observed that the renovation of the swing area was transforming into a massive installation, approximately sixty linear meters long, featuring tree trunks embedded in a huge cemented platform. This platform was intended to serve as the base for the children’s circuit.
The renovation originated from participatory budgets and the proposal “More and better swings in the Dehesa de la Villa,” which aimed to upgrade the existing play area, which included conventional playgrounds, BMX structures, a basketball court, and picnic tables often used for birthday celebrations.
The project’s tender documents specify a total of 466 robinia or false acacia trunks, ranging from 1.5 meters to 4 meters in height. The complex was designed as an itinerary with a large slide and other children’s games, divided into various zones: “children’s zone” (99 trunks), “swing zone” (31), “rope elements” (91), “rubber zone” (37), “nests zone” (30), “tower with giant slide zone” (69), and “sports zone” (109). However, to the residents who opposed these “palitroques,” the intervention resembled more a palisade or a prison than a recreational area for children.
In April 2025, Sunday protests began, led by the San Nicolás-Dehesa de la Villa Neighborhood Association, the Poetas-Dehesa de la Villa Neighborhood Association, and the Salvemos la Dehesa de la Villa Coordinator, which is part of Madrid, Ciudadanía y Patrimonio. Prominent slogans included “More trees and fewer trunks,” “Park yes! Palitroques no!” and “The Dehesa de la Villa, a forest in the city and not a fortress.”
Underlying the protest, beyond the disagreement with the project’s proportions, is a claim articulated in the 2024 BIC declaration: the Dehesa de la Villa as a “unique forest space within the central core.” This highlights the tension between the Dehesa de la Villa as a park and as an urban forest, whose natural character has been enhanced by heritage protection. As a result of this protection, the administration has often cited the difficulty of making improvements to the park, such as installing public restrooms or repairing the pavement in the area used as a fronton by the “Cerro de los Locos.”
Currently, the “birthday zone,” next to Calle de los Pirineos, presents a desolate and fenced-off landscape. The urban intervention, stalled in time, has faced challenges from its inception, and its immediate future appears to depend on the outcome of the lawsuit against the Madrid City Council.
Source: Journalistic investigation, documents obtained through freedom of information requests, testimonies from residents and associations, official statements from the Madrid City Council and the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
