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Justice backs Madrid City Council on Tierno Galván Park privatization for events

A Madrid court dismisses a neighborhood association's appeal, allowing private shows in the park's auditorium.

Facade of a stone town hall in Madrid with a balcony and iron railings, afternoon light.
IA

Facade of a stone town hall in Madrid with a balcony and iron railings, afternoon light.

Madrid's judiciary has validated the authorization of private events at the Tierno Galván Park auditorium, dismissing an appeal filed by a neighborhood association.

The Madrid City Council has received judicial backing for holding private events at the auditorium of Tierno Galván Park, located in the Arganzuela district. The court has dismissed the appeal filed by the neighborhood association Delicias para Tod@s, stating there are no grounds for radical nullity in the applied regulations.
A ruling from Court 29 of Madrid, dated May 20th, rejects the neighborhood lawsuit against the decree issued in July 2024 by the district's councilor-president, Dolores Navarro. The verdict, which imposes costs on the appellant association, deems the City Council's procedure lawful, although it can be appealed to the High Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM).
The neighborhood association had argued for contradictions and deficient reasoning in the decree, claiming it distorted the park's nature as a public green space. However, the court notes that the text aims to reconcile the neighborhood's use of the auditorium with events promoted by public or private entities.
The association's arguments included the alleged improper introduction of the term 'general interest' and the artificial equalization of public and private events, violating the ordinance that prohibits the privatization of green spaces. They also denounced the lack of a public information process and violations of urban planning regulations.
The City Council responded that it is legally feasible to reconcile different uses in a public space, maintaining the predominance of public use. They defended the councilor's authority to grant authorizations and denied violations of urban planning rules, considering the decree regulates the use of a specific area without conceptually altering the park.
The magistrate concluded that the appeal must be dismissed, agreeing with the Administration's stance. Regarding the preeminence of public use, the ruling indicates that balancing interests is a discretionary power of the councilor, and that predominant use does not equate to exclusive use.
The delegate for Urban Planning, Environment, and Mobility, Borja Carabante, welcomed the ruling, calling it "good news" that supports the City Council's actions. He asserted that it is possible to balance events with the right to rest for Madrid's residents, solidifying Madrid as an "epicenter of major events."
Despite the ruling, residents have organized protests against the privatization. The association Delicias para Tod@s claims that handing over the park to a private company "constitutes a privatization of their rights" and an "unjustifiable aggression" to the urban environment. They also point out that continuous musical events violate the right to rest and exceed permitted noise pollution limits.
Several neighborhood associations and environmental groups have called for a protest this Saturday, May 23rd, under the slogan "Enough of the festival! No to Maudes 2026", coinciding with the start of festivals in the park, such as the Maudes Festival and La Carbonería del Galván.

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