The Madrid City Council has definitively approved the modification of the territorial boundaries between the capital and Rivas Vaciamadrid to rationalize their organization and make it consistent with the urban nuclei of both municipalities. This change in the geographical border of both municipalities will optimize the provision of public services and allow for more effective policies for social integration and poverty alleviation, addressing the precarious living conditions and security of residents in the Cañada Real Galiana.
The file with the request for the alteration of the municipal terms of both administrations will now be forwarded to the Community of Madrid for validation by the Government Council. The proposed modification will affect sectors 3, 4, and 5 of the Cañada Real Galiana. Sector 3 will remain within the municipal term of Madrid, as well as the northern strip of sector 4, while the southern strips of sectors 4 and 5 will be transferred from Madrid to Rivas Vaciamadrid.
These changes are in compliance with the Regional Pact for the Cañada Real Galiana signed in 2017 between the Government Delegation in Madrid, the Community of Madrid, and the city councils of Madrid, Rivas Vaciamadrid, and Coslada. This pact also included the revision of borders in its roadmap for the period 2024-2028.
Mutual transfer of land
As a result of this initiative, the city of Madrid transfers a total of 981,152 m2 to Rivas, of which 937,492 m2 are located north of the A-3, and another 43,660 m2 are situated south of this highway. On the other hand, the Rivas Vaciamadrid City Council transfers a total of 517,239 m2 to Madrid, all of which are located north of the A-3.
To facilitate the residents of the area in the municipality change procedures, a mixed working group will also be established between both city councils.
Seven years of processing
The city councils of Madrid and Rivas Vaciamadrid signed the Regional Pact for the Cañada Real on May 17, 2017, along with the Government Delegation in Madrid, the Community of Madrid, and the City Council of Coslada. This agreement included as an annex the proposal for the modification of municipal terms. In January 2019, both councils agreed on a protocol defining the land exchange in the Cañada sectors 3, 4, and 5.
In March 2021, the first file was initiated to request the alteration of the municipal term to the Community of Madrid. However, during its processing, Rivas Vaciamadrid reconsidered the initial terms of the proposal to include new lands from Madrid, as the Rivas council had plans for a new cemetery site that, due to the initial redelimitation, would fall within the municipal term of Madrid. In addition to incorporating it into Rivas’ term, this council requested additional land from Madrid to build a new access road to the A-3 service road. This request was made by the former mayor of Rivas Vaciamadrid in November 2021. In the same month, the Madrid City Council accepted this proposal, presenting in December a new geographic proposal prepared by the General Directorate of Strategic Planning.
The second file with the proposed expansion, now being submitted to the Community of Madrid, was formally initiated in February 2022. /
