Santiago Bernabéu renovation prompts outrage in Madrid

Real Madrid’s long-awaited renovation of its iconic Santiago Bernabéu stadium has become a problem for the club as neighbors have protested construction and noise from activities. Since its reopening this year after a major face-lift which saw its capacity reduced to 32,000 from 50,000 it is home to concerts and other entertainment events, a move has been causing tension among the locals who feel their living standards have been affected.

First used for football in 1947, the Santiago Bernabéu was mainly a football stadium. The recent renovation brought modern innovations such as a retractable roof, upgraded lighting, and enlarged VIP areas to turn the stadium into a multi-functional year-round leisure center. Events by international artists such as Taylor Swift and Karol G have graced the new Outlook opening which has made the stadium expand to 84,000 capacity from the original capacity of 81,000.

These change's goal was increasing the club’s revenues, but they have also spurred protests from residents of the Chamartín district. This previously quiet place which operated mainly during game days is now making noise from concerts and rehearsals, some of which residents say go beyond permissible levels. People have also complained that event attendees consume alcohol and cause havoc, and there have been cases of people urinating in public.

Luis Eusa, one of the residents, said that his grandparents live in the apartment opposite the stadium, and the building trembles during concerts. It is densely populated with many elderly people, and noise at night has turned out to be a very big issue. People have begun to put banners on balconies saying ‘NO concerts’.

Before the refurbishment, the Bernabéu staged approximately 35 events annually. Now, the plans of the stadium are to host over 300 events per year, which has been vehemently fought by the group of People Affected by the Bernabéu. The group argues that the stadium has no noise insulation and that the loudspeakers contravene noise control laws.

In light of these complaints, Real Madrid has recently declared that all concerts are to be stopped while they look for a solution to the noise problem. At the same time, the construction of a new underground parking for cars in the stadium has been halted by a Madrid court for a construction violation of the existing laws. People remain skeptical about the club’s assurances to address such problems, some of them believing they were given a raw deal on the effects of the stadium’s renovation.

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