Real Madrid’s plans to overhaul the Santiago Bernabeu have been dealt a hammer blow after the High Court of Madrid reversed approval for renovation work.
Los Blancos were due to revamp the stadium over a three-year period, which included a new-look exterior, retractable roof and increase in capacity from 85,454 to 90,000, along with a green belt of land around the venue, underground parking, a hotel and shopping centre complex.
Legal wrangles meant work could not commence after the original announcement in November 2012, but environmental group Ecologists in Action and the heirs to the once-noble House of Maudes, the Ruiz-Villar family, have now won their appeal for the decision to be overturned.
“The High Court of Madrid has cancelled the Agreement of November 15, 2012, issued by the Community of Madrid’s Governing Council, which [initially] approved the Specific Modification of Land-use planning in Madrid, [a decision] which affects the Santiago Bernabeu,” read a statement on Madrid’s official website.
“Following this judgment, Real Madrid will work with the City Council and the Community of Madrid in addressing the necessary aspects to make the Bernabeu reform project viable.”
