Representatives of the Salvar Hortaleza collective went to the Community of Madrid this Thursday to present the signatures and request a meeting with the Minister of Culture, Mariano de Paco. The goal is to reactivate the process to declare this enclave a Heritage of Cultural Interest (BIP), an initiative announced a year ago that, according to the platform, has shown no significant progress.

The Ministry had confirmed in February 2025 that it was working on the protection file, recognizing the cultural value of the complex as an example of bourgeois residences with orchards and gardens from the 19th and 20th centuries. The estate, which once belonged to the playwright Carlos Arniches, is a testament to Madrid's agricultural past.

However, the neighborhood platform warns about the threat of an urban development project that plans the construction of 36,000 square meters of offices. This initiative is promoted by the French real estate company Therus Invest in collaboration with the congregation of the Madres Adoratrices.

Salvar Hortaleza criticizes that, despite the existence of technical reports favorable to the protection of the site, the Madrid City Council has chosen not to preserve the land and allow its urban development. They consider that the loss of Huerta de Mena would be an "attack against the cultural memory of the city and a serious urban planning error".

To raise public awareness and gather more support, the platform has called for a neighborhood walk next Sunday, April 12, around the estate, which has been closed for over a decade. Huerta de Mena, with origins in the 18th century, was acquired in 1881 by Fernando Rodríguez Pridall, who built the main residence. Throughout its history, it has been a meeting point for figures such as José Ortega y Gasset and Rafael Alberti, and under the ownership of Carlos Arniches, it became a vibrant cultural space known as Los Almendros.