Madrid approves development plan for gardens of Damas Apostólicas convent

The Madrid City Council, with the exclusive support of the People's Party, has definitively approved the Special Plan for the Damas Apostólicas novitiate site. This investment permanently transforms the previously protected area into a modern educational and residential complex. A key element of the plan is the construction of eleven new facilities to serve as student dormitories. While the city hall emphasizes the 'armoring' of protection for the main building facade, critics point out this is merely a superficial action meant to conceal the radical change in the character of the entire city block. The Damas Apostólicas complex was built in the first half of the 20th century and is the work of Críspulo Moro Cabeza, the same architect who designed the famous Doré cinema. Since the 1920s, the gardens surrounding the convent have been one of the last large, private green enclaves in the densely built-up part of Chamartín, serving as an ecological corridor. The main axis of the conflict remains the environmental issue. To implement the project, the felling of approximately 200 trees is necessary, including many specimens of significant ecological value. The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, rejected all comments submitted by residents and environmentalists during the consultation process, arguing that the project introduces modern solutions, such as green roofs on the new buildings. The opposition left-wing describes this as an 'attack on heritage and nature,' pointing out that artificial vegetation on roofs will not compensate for the loss of natural ground and mature tree cover. The investor, who acquired the land from the religious order, plans to create an elite campus, fitting into a broader trend of commercializing historic estates in the Spanish capital. The new buildings will replace former orchards and kitchen gardens, which for decades were listed as protected heritage sites. According to the city authorities, this transformation is the only way to avoid the ruin of the deteriorating buildings, but for many residents, it represents an irreversible loss of the historical identity of the Chamartín district.