Overview
- The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid ordered an urgent precautionary suspension on Wednesday that immediately stopped cranes and workers at Cabestreros 1 and 3 while the court examines the PSOE appeal.
- The court cited the site's location inside the Conjunto Histórico de la Villa de Madrid and the Zona Arqueológica del Recinto Histórico as a reason to halt work because demolition could make any later protection impossible to enforce.
- The regional Dirección General de Patrimonio had lifted a prior pause on May 22 after finding no protectable cultural value and saying the municipal demolition license was valid, a decision now stayed by the TSJM order.
- The PSOE challenged the regional decision with a pericial report by a doctor in Architecture that documents historical and typological elements, and local politicians warn replacing the former Baobab restaurant with a capsule hostal would increase short-stay tourism pressure and erode neighborhood identity.
- Next steps in the litigation include written arguments from the Community, the city and the license holder and a court review of expert evidence that will determine whether the suspension becomes permanent or is lifted.