“This is the ecological bifurcation project. The model change is now. “The president of Nantes Métropole, Johanna Rolland (PS), and her team unveiled this Friday noon “the new version” of the project to transform the vast sector of Petite-Hollande. The main principles announced since 2019 have not changed: removal of the 1,200 car parking spaces for the benefit of pedestrians and bicycles, reinforcement of green spaces, and maintenance of the large Saturday morning market. But, after the long episode of heat wave experienced last summer, Johanna Rolland was convinced that “we had to go further on the place of nature”. The urban planning agency TER in charge of the file was therefore asked to get back to work.
The new version, nicknamed “parc-archipel”, plans to “put back in the ground”, that is to say, cut through four hectares (one more than the previous project) between Gloriette Island, the quay of the Fosse and Place du Commerce. She plans to plant an additional 600 trees (double the amount previously) to reach a total of one thousand trees. Square Daviais will be retained but slightly redeveloped. A paved esplanade will be set up right next to it. There are also lawns, benches, games for children, sports equipment, two kiosks. “This project will bring beauty and well-being to the heart of the city. Tomorrow, it will be 8°C cooler there in summer thanks to nature,” says Johanna Rolland.
The bleachers on the Loire replaced by a simple pontoon
The Saturday market will be moved from its current central position and stretched “in the shade” of large trees, along the tram tracks. It will thus spread out from the media library car park to the area around Place du Commerce. Motor traffic, for its part, will finally retain more or less the route that we observe today, whereas it was initially to be repositioned to the north. The causeway linking the Quai de la Fosse to the waterways on the banks will however be far from the Loire and will surprisingly cut off the pedestrian paths leading to the river. “Yes, but the road will change from a 2×2 lane to a 2×1 lane. Automobile flows will be reduced,” bets Nicolas Martin (EELV), vice-president of Nantes Métropole. Cars will no longer have access to the banks of the Gloriette, which will be pedestrianized and vegetated. Cyclists will benefit from several new separate trails in the area.
The initial project also provided for a clear belvedere on the Loire with the construction of concrete bleachers. This is no longer on the agenda. “Pathways” and a more modest wooden pontoon “allowing you to approach the water” are now announced. The banks will integrate better with the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery, thinks Johanna Rolland.
The start of the work is planned for 2026. Delivery planned for 2028. But, between 2024 and 2026, a first “prefiguration” phase will consist of replacing some concrete with vegetation. Half of the parking spaces should thus have disappeared by 2026. Amount of the investment: 70 million euros. In a second phase, the Quai de la Fosse will, in turn, be redeveloped.