- The collective association for ecological achievements (Capre 06) had sued the Ecovallée strategic and operational plan (PSO).
- The Council of State agreed with the public establishment of Ecovallée development of the Plaine du Var.
Committed in 2015 against the Ecovallée de Nice, environmental defenders said they were disappointed on Sunday by the decision of the Council of State rejecting their appeal against this vast project to develop the plain of Var, while indicating wanting to continue their actions.
The Collective association for ecological achievements (Capre 06) had challenged in court the strategic and operational plan (PSO) concerning this project including in particular an international business center and "an urban technopole of sustainable development".
He criticized this operation of national interest, called Ecovallée, among the largest in France with 10,000 ha spread over fifteen municipalities, the lack of a global environmental study.
Contradictions Decisions
In its decision rendered Wednesday, the Council of State ruled that the approval of this PSO "has no regulatory character and has neither the purpose nor the effect of authorizing the development operations it takes account ”and that as a consequence the public development establishment Ecovallée de la Plaine du Var“ is entitled to maintain that it is wrong […] that the administrative court of Nice canceled this deliberation ”.
In 2017, the Administrative Court of Nice had indeed ruled in favor of the environmental group before the Marseille Administrative Appeal Court, the following year, reversed this decision, a judgment however set aside for procedural irregularities, which had led to the referral to the Council of State.
A European remedy?
"It is not because justice has not given us reason that the environment is respected within the framework of this project, it is a simple matter of form", reacted Sylvie Bonaldi, president of the collective association and municipal candidate in Nice on the Nice Ecological list. "We now hope that Europe will relaunch the litigation procedure against the French state," she continues.
In a press release, Christian Estrosi, mayor (LR) of Nice and chairman of the board of directors of the Etablissement public d'aménagement (EPA) Nice Ecovallée welcomed this court decision which “confirms the reality of the environmental approach of this vast urban planning and development project which allows to combine ecology and economy ”.
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