Residents of the «No to the gas station» platform in the Soto neighborhood of Móstoles have urged the Prosecutor’s Office to temporarily halt the construction of a new gas station in the urban area, right in front of the Finca Liana Park, which resumed this weekend.
On January 28, the first machines and excavators entered the land located at the intersection of Iker Casillas Avenue and Benito Pérez Galdós Street, starting the works despite strong opposition from the neighborhood residents, who have been trying to stop the gas station for almost two years.
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Despite the strong opposition from the neighborhood residents and the last-ditch effort made by the new municipal government, formed by the PP and Vox parties, to stop the new service station, the project continued and the arrival of the machines came as a blow to the residents.
However, just hours after the start of the works, agents from the Móstoles Municipal Police halted the construction, even going as far as sealing off the land where the new Soto gas station is to be installed, as «the staking act had not yet been signed.»
Although the council insisted that the halt was not due to any action by a court or the Prosecutor’s Office, this pause gave a glimmer of hope to the residents of the area and some environmental associations, who still believe they can stop this new gas station.
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The main protests are focused on the fact that this new gas station will be located on a plot within the urban area, less than 50 meters from several blocks of homes and in the vicinity of several schools.
It will also be next to one of the largest parks in the city, the aforementioned Finca Liana Park, and the new Special Education center announced by the Community of Madrid.
Following this temporary halt, one of the residents of this platform, Teresa Herráiz, explained that on Saturday, March 1, they woke up to «the sound of chainsaws» on the land, where «more than 15 trees have already been felled.»
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«The Municipal Police were called. They arrived to identify the workers who were asked to leave the site, and the land was closed off again,» added Herráiz, who once again denounced the situation of this gas station.
Municipal sources confirmed that municipal officers visited the site over the weekend to «verify that all permits were in order.»
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«The city council is conducting constant and thorough supervision to ensure compliance with current regulations, specifically in the urban planning field,» these sources added, confirming that, after confirming everything was in order, the works resumed «normally.»
In light of this resumption of works, the residents have once again requested the Prosecutor’s Office to temporarily halt the construction of the new Soto gas station citing «alleged irregularities in its processing that could constitute crimes related to Land Use Planning and Urbanism, and Prevarication.»
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