Alcobendas Approves Valdegrande, a New Neighborhood with 8,600 Homes and a Park Half the Size of El Retiro

Alcobendas has given the final green light to Valdegrande, the largest residential development in northern Madrid in recent decades. Located just north of the capital and bordering the municipal boundary with Madrid, the new neighborhood will add 8,600 homes, more than half of them subsidized, helping to ease the growing pressure on housing in the region.

The project was approved almost unanimously by the Alcobendas municipal plenary after overcoming previous legal obstacles. Valdegrande had been temporarily halted by a ruling from the High Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM), which required adjustments to meet environmental standards. With those requirements now fulfilled, the development can finally move forward.

Valdegrande will be built on former agricultural and livestock land, transforming it into a fully planned urban area. Beyond housing, one of its most striking features will be its extensive green spaces: a total of 570,000 square meters divided into two major parks. One will act as an ecological transition area alongside Monte de Valdelatas, while the other—a central park of more than 200,000 square meters next to the Valdelacasa stream—will be comparable in size to half of Madrid’s iconic Retiro Park.

The estimated investment in the project reaches €2.3 billion and is expected to generate more than 4,000 jobs during its construction phase. The mix of land ownership between private developers and municipal plots will allow the city council to promote access-to-housing policies, offering a wide range of options from studios for young people and families to single-family homes and rental apartments.

As Madrid continues to expand across its outskirts, Valdegrande represents both an opportunity and a challenge. Regional and local authorities will now face the task of ensuring that public infrastructure, transport, traffic management and energy supply grow in step with the arrival of thousands of new residents, maintaining quality of life while supporting the region’s ongoing development.

Source: Madrid Secreto, December 2025