The controversy arose during Madrid's Urban Planning, Environment, and Mobility commission meetings, where groups like Más Madrid and VOX questioned the management of waste collection infrastructure. Más Madrid councilor Esther Gómez criticized the local government for technically approving a "cleaning depot" on Los Morales street, contradicting a 2022 agreement with residents.
José Antonio Martínez Páramo, the delegate councilor for Cleaning, assured that the agreement with residents in the Carabanchel PAU would be honored, confirming the plot would house an auxiliary park with changing rooms, not a cleaning depot. He specified that the current project is minimal, including only male and female changing rooms and legally mandated parking spaces.
VOX spokesperson Javier Ortega Smith echoed residents' concerns, citing precedents like the Montecarmelo depot and fearing the changing rooms could be a precursor to an 11,000 square meter facility. VOX demanded the plot be fully protected as a green zone.
The People's Party executive responded to the criticism, accusing opposition councilors of misunderstanding public service contracts. Martínez Páramo clarified that while the initial 2022 plan included a depot with heavy machinery, the current project has been significantly scaled down.
Furthermore, the councilor explained that a four-year agreement has been proposed to residents to cede the remaining land, with a firm commitment to reclassify the surplus land as a green zone to legally prevent any future expansion of cleaning facilities.
