Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 5y

Real Madrid still awaiting permits for €400m Bernabeu redevelopment

Real Madrid have yet to secure the permits needed to begin work on their €400 million renovation of the Bernabeu.

Plans for the remodelling, to include a futuristic silver "skin" and extendable roof, were first announced by Madrid president Florentino Perez in 2004.

Problems with funding and planning have meant the project has been put back on several occasions, but Perez said in May that work would begin early next year.

However, a spokesperson for Madrid's Sustainable Urban Development department told ESPN FC that the club's latest plans contained issues that needed resolving.

In August, the city's Licensing and Consultation Service asked for alterations, including in the area of fire safety, and are awaiting a response before considering whether to grant the permits.

Madrid did not respond when asked to comment by ESPN FC.

The club's plans for the stadium project have evolved amid objections from local residents and planning officials, with a luxury hotel among the elements to have been dropped.

Construction work is expected to take three-and-a-half years but should not affect the playing of matches at the stadium.

In 2014, Perez revealed plans to help finance the project by selling naming rights to the Abu Dhabi-based International Petroleum Investment Company.

But after that deal fell through, a motion at this year's AGM to permit the board to take on debt up to a maximum of €575m over 35 years was passed with 92.7 percent of the vote.

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