Quietly, Toulon continues its transformation. An ambitious requalification project of nearly four hectares and two kilometers of coastline in the Var prefecture, costing 150 million euros has been unveiled by the metropolis. Funds mainly come from the private sector, assures the local community. The project was made possible by the cession of military land, until then occupied by the French Navy, to the largest town in the department (170,000 inhabitants). What to continue his change of image and to swap his clothes of “Toulon the discreet”, not to write “ugly city”,
as a report by RMC had dared broadcast last November, for a “sexier” image, notes Corinne Vezzoni, winning architect of the project in association with other agencies.
“To restore a little the image of the city”
“This project will transform the image of the city in depth”, continues the architect native of Arles and resident in Marseille. “For 5-6 years, Toulon has passed a milestone. First the city center made pedestrian, then the covered markets, the theater and the opera house. A city that suddenly falls asleep is transformed, ”she notes. On the day of the presentation of the project, Hubert Falco, the mayor of the city and president of the metropolis, presented it as capable of “making Toulon shine” and of asserting its role as “flagship city of the leading tourist department in France”.
On paper, the design is attractive. The buildings will begin to emerge in January 2024, with the first deliveries expected in 2026. A thalassothermic center, a luxury hotel, offices, a convention center and a space dedicated to culture, installed in the old hangar seaplanes, will make up this space by the sea. A park of 20,000 square meters, planted with trees and including ponds, completes the works for which the architects aim “for the highest environmental qualifications.” The thalassothermic center will bring freshness in summer, and a little heat in winter to the buildings. Without that, we would have had to install kilometers of solar panels on the roofs, as much less vegetation », details Corinne Vezzoni.
“It will improve the image of the city a bit,” Florence hopes. “Although I find it a bit too concrete. Finally, it’s modern, ”judges this native of Toulon, now a resident of La Garde. Above all, Florence notes that the city has changed drastically in recent years. “I left the region for twenty-five years before coming back three years ago, and I still find that there are still a lot of cool things that have been done.”
Keep some under the pedal for after 2026
Among the inhabitants of the Mourillon district, which overlooks the site of the future project, we say we are “generally satisfied”, explains François Bordes, the president of the district committee. “This will allow activity in an area to which we had no access at all,” he rejoices. He is worried about an eight-story office building, which will “block the view of other buildings”. “But it will make the neighborhood attractive,” he sums up.
In parallel with this project, a restaurant with a panoramic view will be created on an islet which served as ammunition depots for submarines. Eventually, other elements of the Toulon coast will be revisited. But the mayor, Hubert Falco, “wants to keep some under the pedal for after 2026”, we breathe.