Back to square one ? The Lille administrative court canceled, this Thursday, the project for a new Saint-Sauveur district, desired by the mayor of Lille for nearly ten years. The judges noted procedural flaws in the joint approaches of the city of Lille and the metropolis of Lille (Mel).
The project had been suspended for three years by an interim order from the same administrative court, following an appeal by two associations. In particular, a study on air quality was missing during the public inquiry. Located not far from the ring road, the area is already subject to endemic air pollution.
“Inaccuracies and inadequacies”
Does this decision mark the end of the development project of a 23 hectare railway wasteland (46 football fields) with housing, offices, shops and a 3.4 hectare park and an Olympic swimming pool? Or will she just delay it? Contacted, the city and metropolis of Lille have not yet followed up.
In his re-entry conference, the mayor (PS), Martine Aubry, had mentioned “procedural problems”. “We will answer it, but this is not the basis of the debate,” she said.
The judges’ decision is based on “the inaccuracies and inadequacies tainting the impact study on the basis of which the first public inquiry was organized”. The Métropole de Lille had tried to remedy this by organizing a second so-called complementary public inquiry. All false. The court ruled that she could not regularize the first one.
“La Mel should have organized a new public inquiry under common law, and not just a complementary inquiry, and at the end of this take a new decision declaring the project of general interest”, explains the court in a report. communicated. Result, Mel and the city must review their copy.
“The city’s lack of seriousness”
For the two associations which denounce this town planning project, “this decision is a victory”. “And if the city and the metropolis persist, we will continue to fight,” they insist. “This means that the project must be abandoned,” adds their lawyer, Me Muriel Ruef. As long as the impact study is deemed insufficient, we cannot know whether the general interest exists or not ”.
“This decision – which symbolically takes place on this National Air Quality Day – sanctions the city’s lack of seriousness in taking into account the health of its inhabitants, adds Lise Daleux, for the environmental group, today” hui in the municipal opposition. It is quite symbolic that it. The impact of projects for a swimming pool, offices and 2,500 housing units has been deliberately minimized ”.
On the other hand, the judges confirm the character of general interest of the project “with regard to the environmental issues, by relying in particular on the conclusions of the investigating commissioner who issued twice a favorable opinion on this project”, during the public inquiries. .