The Assembly expansion is planned on a vacant lot in Vallecas

In 2000, the Gobierno de Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón transferred more than 3,000 square metres in Vallecas to Ivima for the construction of public housing. A quarter of a century later, the plot remains empty and the Asamblea de Madrid is planning to use it for new institutional buildings.

The project includes expanding the regional Parliament and building a headquarters for the Cámara de Cuentas. The maximum budget is set at 23.6 million euros, although the final cost will depend on the proposals submitted to the tender and could be lower.

The calculation is based on a maximum Presupuesto de Ejecución Material of 16.4 million. To this amount, 13% is added for general expenses, 6% for industrial profit, and 21% VAT. A parliamentary source summed it up as, “It’s a major project.” They also suggested that the Cámara de Cuentas could contribute, although a spokesperson for the Asamblea de Madrid clarified that it has not been decided whether it will make any contribution and that the institution has sufficient reserves.

The opposition rejects the plan. Manuela Bergerot, leader of Más Madrid, believes the expansion is not justified and argues that the plot should be used for services for Palomeras, one of the neighbourhoods she described as among the most deprived and under-resourced in Madrid. She also maintains that the Cámara de Cuentas could be housed in a building already owned by the Community.

Fernando Fernández Lara, deputy spokesperson for the PSOE in the Asamblea de Madrid, questions allocating around 25 million to the new headquarters. He claims that the Gobierno del PP has redirected other public housing projects and criticises the budget execution in the area: according to his figures, only 2% of the Plan Estatal de Vivienda is executed and less than 30% of the housing area, with more than 400 million unspent. For the PSOE, that money could help address the housing problem.

The debate over the use of spaces in Madrid also appears in Christmas planning, as reflected in this Madrid lighting project. In Vallecas, Más Madrid demands that the land serve residents with accessible housing or public services.

The plot at avenida de Pablo Neruda, 140, was used for tertiary purposes until 2007. Since then, it has been designated as land for public administration. The urban planning designation prevented the planned housing from being built and did not change during the 25 years following the transfer. In 2025, the Community considered the transfer resolved and reclaimed the land, which can now accommodate the planned institutional buildings.