Navalagamella is a town of just over 3,000 inhabitants located in the Community of Madrid that has been making headlines for years for a peculiar reason: there, on the southern slope of the Cerro Alarcón reservoir, between pine forests and holm oaks, a luxury hotel is about to be built with more than 60 rooms, restaurants, a sports center and a gym, among other services. A complex dedicated to relaxation located less than an hour from Madrid and which arrives preceded by controversy.
His interest, however, transcends Navalagamella.
In a place in Madrid… More specifically, on the southern slope of the Cerro de Alarcón reservoir, in Navalagamella, near Valdemorillo, a new luxury hotel is planned that has arrived preceded by controversy. For its defenders, it will boost the town’s economy, promoting “quality” tourism and generating more than a hundred jobs. For its detractors, it is an error that will have a negative impact on the environment and raises doubts about how it will affect such basic issues as water supply and treatment or traffic.
More than an infographic. The project is not exactly new. In fact, there has been talk for years about the Vivood chain’s plans to set up a large resort in the heart of Madrid’s mountains, less than an hour’s drive from the capital. The novelty, the reason why it has been heard again, is because it has begun to take shape.
In September, the Navalagamella City Council released a statement to announce the start of work on Cerro de Alarcón and the demolition of the old yacht club. The Newspaper In fact, it assures that the preliminary fellings have already been carried out that will allow the work to start at any time.
The Consistory has not been the only one to speak out. Shortly after Ecologistas en Acción raised its voice to highlight two other ideas. First to warn that, despite the initial commitment of the promoters to “respect the trees”, oaks, pines and cedars have already been cut down. Second (more serious) to insist that the work has started under a license granted by the City Council in July despite the fact that the appeal for a previous license is still pending in the courts.
A “Landscape Hotel”. The project has not only caused people to talk because of the controversy that preceded it. It also stands out for its proposal. The future complex of the Vivood chain moves away from the traditional concept of a vertical hotel and opts for a horizontal construction, made up of small pieces spread across the mountain. EPE specifically talks about 55 bungalows and villas with 66 rooms, as well as restaurants, a sports club and beach clubpier and parking.
The idea is to use mineral mortars, treated stone, materials that integrate the buildings into the environment. When announcing the start of the works, the Navalagamella City Council actually spoke of a “Hotel-Landscape in Cerro de Alarcón.”
Vivood already has a similar complex in Benimantell. “We were very clear about our essence: betting on a different luxury, based on disconnection, silence, relaxation… This is what we have been doing in Alicante,” the company’s CEO and founder, Daniel Mayo, explained to Idealista in June 2023.
Right or wrong? Significant projects usually arouse as much criticism as they do enthusiasm. And the future luxury hotel in Navalagamella is no exception. For the City Council it will “promote” the region as a “quality tourist destination”, generate employment, promote training in the sector and “contribute significantly to local economic development.” According to his calculations, the project will create more than 150 jobs. Regarding the legal framework of the works, he insists that the hotel has all the permits, including environmental reports.
“It remains to be seen what costs it will have”. Not everyone shares his optimism. On the contrary, Ecologists in Action recalls that the complex will be located next to a Special Protection Area for Birds and warns that the works have destroyed trees and threaten to cause an even greater impact.
“The hotel will have the possibility of hosting and celebrating mass events, with the consequent noise pollution and its negative effects on the local species,” warns the environmental group, which insists that the project fails to comply with the Habitats Directive and will also cause “inconvenience” for those who already reside in the area. Among other issues, it warns about the demand for water and traffic.
Recently EPE He visited the region to speak with neighbors who also have doubts about the real impact of the hotel. There is concern that it will end the tranquility that the inhabitants of the Cerro Alarcón residences enjoy or how it will affect neighboring towns. “The most affected road would be the one that connects the town with the urbanization, and it remains to be seen what costs this story will have for the Valdemorillo City Council,” reflects Julia, a resident of the area.
The backdrop. The Navalagamella project stands out for something else. One of its main attractions is its proximity to Madrid, a city that is experiencing its own tourism boom and offers a potential market with thousands of families eager to have weekend options without having to travel hundreds of kilometers.
The future Cerro Alarcón hotel reflects the interest (and enormous potential) aroused by rural Madrid in the mountains and pre-mountains. Also the challenges that this brings for the environment or public services in areas with a now limited population, as is the case in Navalagamella, where 3,100 people live.
Images | Navalagamella Town Hall
Via | The Spanish Newspaper
In WorldOfSoftware | The coast of Huelva has been touristed for decades. Now one of its last virgin areas will become a megaurbanization
