New San Siro stadium, the "lies" of Inter and Milan

The new San Siro stadium will be built, but there will be controversy right up to the end. At the forefront against the project desired by Inter and Milan and it's always there, endorsed by the Municipality of Milan San Siro Coordination, the citizens' committee of that area of ​​the city who strongly oppose the construction of a new plant. Although the intentions of the two clubs is also to redevelop the entire area, with buildings but also green areas (100.000 mXNUMX), paths for soft mobility and a sports district, all with zero environmental impact, the Coordination has identified several points that do not add up. "All the data has been checked and verified, obtained from the projects presented by the teams and confirmed by the councilors", specifies the committee in the newsletter.

First of all, the renderings end up in the sights of citizens, defined as “bait and switch and too spectacular. They cause attention to be captured by something (for example the zip-line that everyone is talking about now), to divert it from more important things”. Like for example, again according to the San Siro Coordination, the fact that the new plant will be built far too close to the houses. “The stadium will be built just 30 meters from the houses in via Tesio, which is about 16 meters wide, which means that the stadium will be another 15 meters from the sidewalk.” And that of distance is only the first in a series of critical points denounced by neighborhood committees. Here are the others.

THE GREEN

“They promise us, like a godsend, no less than 26.000 m100.000 of greenery (actually, the project website talks about 26.000 m2,6, ed). Which of course on renderings also look like many more. Well: are we aware that 5,2 square meters are the beauty of XNUMX hectares? And which are exactly half of the already existing XNUMX hectares?”. This is the Coordination's complaint, which therefore claims that the green spaces will end up diminishing and being distributed "over several floors", as stated by the councilor for urban planning of the Municipality of Milan, Pierfrancesco Maran. "It therefore means that they will also consist of flower beds, terraces, etc., in other words, urban furniture and not real greenery".

PARKINGS

The current parking lots would be covered by the new stadium. But the question the rebels are asking is: where will they go to park all those cars and buses that have so far come to park there? “Football clubs say that underground parking will be set up. Yes. For VIPs. And the others? There is no parking plan in their plans. Yet we have repeatedly stressed how, for example, the parking lots at the end of via Novara, now unused, are very suitable, if accompanied by a shuttle".

TICKET PRICES

“Football clubs – supports the Coordination – have repeatedly said that they want to increase VIP seats. That is the more expensive ones. With the new stadium, seats for families will be reduced to a minimum, in favor of those for VIPs. The prices of tickets and season tickets will skyrocket”.

LESS SEATS

The committee also insists on the question of seats, given that several alternative projects, also signed by important architects and supported by the Coordination, proposed the solution of renovating the current Giuseppe Meazza. “The new stadium will hold a maximum of 60.000 spectators against the almost 78.000 at the Meazza. With the restructuring plans for the Meazza, the seats would in any case exceed 60.000”.

REAL ESTATE SPECULATION

The stadium itself, again according to the dissidents, is not a business for the football clubs which quantify it as equal to only 14% of the entire business. “Real business is real estate speculation that will grow alongside: three skyscrapers, a shopping centre, a multiplex, a hotel, a convention centre. All in the same area. Concrete on concrete".

URBAN LOAD

“With all that is being built, the planning burden will skyrocket. The football clubs have a slogan: with the current Meazza there is an event 2-3 times a week. With the new project you will have an event 365 days a year. So for every day of the year you will have crowds of people and users of all types in the neighborhood. The same neighborhood that now has a 5-hectare green area where you can stroll and have picnics. An upheaval”, is written in the newsletter.

VIABILITY

According to the San Siro Coordination, there is no effective and efficient plan for the viability in the project presented by the companies. “As mentioned above, the parking spaces will disappear, the urban load will increase and where will all the cars belonging to the users of the so-called “365 days a year event” go? Above all, where will the 60.000 spectators of the new stadium flow? Already today the streets are congested for matches (pre-Covid), what will it be like then? The Committee has repeatedly pointed out that, at the very least, traffic should be brought underground up to the ring roads. Nothing has been said about it. It will be an extraordinary crowd of people and cars. Much more than the current one, even of the topical moments ".

POLLUTION

In the dossier prepared by the San Siro Coordination and sent to the administration last March, it is explained in detail how the increase in the urban load leads to an increase in pollution. “In addition to the increase in cars on the road, there will obviously be greater heating in the winter and greater use of air conditioning in the summer. It means more pollution”, it is written.

SAFETY

“Let's try to imagine what security will be like, with a stadium 30 meters from the houses and 60.000 fans entering the stadium, but above all leaving all together. Where do they come out? In via Tesio through two exits. Where are they going? What are 60.000 people doing? Already today that the stadium is 200 meters away, we know what they leave and what they do. Anyone who lives here knows it well."

PUBLIC SPENDING

The question of the higher charges to be borne by the Municipality of Milan is also raised. “Football clubs will pay 2 million euros a year to the administration for the use of the areas. That means 8 million a year less revenue. What's more, the Municipality also has to pay the companies 74 million to re-functionalize the Meazza, that is, to reduce it to a stump and to have a wonderful zipline. And then how will the administration compensate for these lower revenues and higher expenditures? With higher taxes? To have a Meazza reduced like this, with some sports that can very well be practiced anywhere, we might as well raze it to the ground".

CONCERTS

In the document presented by the Services Conference of the Ats (Health Protection Agency) signed by Dr. Giorgio Ciconali, it is explained that "it is desirable that the use of the new stadium be directed primarily to sporting events". Also because the music would also be 30 meters from the houses. “And although the football clubs continue to say that the facility won't create problems, 30 meters is a bit too small for all the decibels that are shot up in concerts. And no one can believe that nothing will be heard."

VOLUMETIES

The regulatory plan allows a building index of 0,35 mXNUMX/mXNUMX. The latest indications of teams are for 0,51. They therefore mean 50.000 m98.000 of concrete more which add up to the 140.000 mXNUMX already granted by the PGT, for a total of XNUMX mXNUMX of built. "And even the refurbishment of the Meazza is just an alibi for asking for a derogation from the volumetric indices", the committee continues.

STADIUM LAW

Last but not least, there would also be a legal obstacle. In fact, the Law on stadiums, in paragraphs 304 and 305, states that a new stadium is possible if its existence cannot be restructured. The two teams say that - based on the opinion of the Polytechnic which is also the advisor for the new stadium, "therefore in clear conflict of interest" - the restructuring is not in their interest. "And what is the interest of the administration and of the citizens?".