The Community of Madrid acquired, through the company Planifica Madrid, a luxurious penthouse on General Martínez Campos street of 481 square meters whose market value is around six million euros. The operation was formalized before a notary on April 14, but it was not until yesterday that it became public knowledge that it was going to be used as offices for the president of the Government of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and part of her team. There are many doubts and questions about the acquisition of the property and its possible use.
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Why has the purchase of this property not been disclosed?
Isabel Díaz Ayuso argued yesterday that the public company has the freedom to acquire and buy buildings to preserve the regional heritage. It so happens that it is located right opposite the apartment that Ayuso owns outright, that is, donated by her parents, and also very close is the apartment owned by her partner Alberto González Amador. It is a ninth-floor apartment with five bedrooms and five bathrooms, a 200-meter terrace, and the building dates back to 1957.
What works will be carried out in the building of the Real Casa de Correos, in Sol, headquarters of the Autonomous Government?
Several floors will be remodeled to undertake “a comprehensive renovation of the building,” which involves vacating the property for a few months. Ayuso mentioned that they want to air-condition some rooms, while it is a debate in the Community of Madrid that public schools are not prepared to cope with the heat.
Were these works known?
No. The opposition, PSOE and Más Madrid, have requested the file of these works in the Assembly. It is unknown whether they have a license, the budget, and the name of the contracting company. It is only known that they will start “at the beginning of August.”
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Why was the purchase hidden?
The acquisition of luxury homes is often carried out in off-market transactions, but since the buyer is a public body, the purchase amount should have been disclosed. Furthermore, the seller was the writer Astrid Gil-Casares, ex-spouse of the president of Ferrovial, Rafael del Pino.
Can the apartment be used for tertiary use?
No. The municipal regulations explicitly state that penthouses cannot be used as offices. This property is governed by zoning rule 1, grade 3, according to the urban information from the Madrid City Council. The rules of the general urban planning plan of Madrid indicate that this type of property cannot house offices for the public administration, as this activity is not included among the economic activities that allow it. Hence Ayuso qualified that it would be used for “professional meetings.”
The Madrid Executive has not explained what plans it has to transform a home into a workplace. In this regard, to deflect, Ayuso argued that it is not defined who would work in that apartment, but limited herself to saying that it was for “institutional meetings.”
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