By Mark Baber
Februaty 12 – The £260 million redevelopment of the Santiago Bernabéu has been brought to a halt by the High Court of Madrid. The plans had included new hotel facilities, a shopping centre and a redesign of the exterior which had met a mixed response when architects images were revealed at the end of January.
Real Madrid issued a short statement saying, “The High Court of Madrid has overturned the Agreement from 15 November 2012, issued by the Community of Madrid’s Governing Council, which approved the Specific Modification of the Madrid General Development Plan, a decision that affects the Santiago Bernabéu.
“Following this ruling, Real Madrid C. F. will work with the City Council and the Community of Madrid to address those aspects that require attention in order to make the Santiago Bernabéu reform project viable.”
The High Court’s ruling arises out of a legal wrangle over a strip of land which the City Council had transferred to Real Madrid in 1998 and on to which, under the new plans, the new stadium development was to extend.
When it became clear the council had no right to transfer this public land to the club, the council attempted to resolve the matter in a 2012 agreement – but this agreement has now been suspended with the court announcing that “the court is adopting the (suspension) measure due to the launching of a process by the European Commission relating to possible state aid given to Real Madrid.”
When the plans were unveiled last year, club president Florentino Perez claimed: “We want to make the Santiago Bernabéu the best stadium in the world.”
The chosen design, by German architects GMP, features a retractable roof, hotel and shopping complex and a new shiny skin for the whole complex.
The overall look of the planned redevelopment has been compared to a sardine can or the George Foreman grill, with many hoping this particular eyesore never gets built.
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