It is a battle between defenders of the environment and the Société du Grand Paris. Line 17 of the Grand Paris Express, which is due to link Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport to Paris-Orly airport by 2030, is the subject of criticism, accused of threatening the agricultural land of the Triangle of Gonesse. After the appeal brought by the Collectif pour le Triangle de Gonesse and France Nature Environnement (FNE) Ile-de-France, the public rapporteur of the Paris administrative court of appeal seems to be going in their direction. It recommended, during a hearing held Thursday, September 9, the suspension of work on the line.

“The main argument used by the rapporteur is that the impact study carried out by the Société du Grand Paris is incomplete, because there is no study of the overall project.

This is what the Montreuil court said and this is what the Environmental Authority says in its three successive opinions, ”explains Maxime Colin, lawyer at FNE, who set up the appeal.

The Montreuil administrative court in fact ordered for the first time on November 15, 2019 the suspension of work for one year, but this decision was canceled for a problem of form, which forced the association to start the whole process again.

In its opinion of January 2018, the Environmental Authority pointed out "significant gaps" in the impact study of the Société du Grand Paris.

Suspension of work

“The other red line is the impact on protected species… 37 species are threatened in Ile-de-France,”

Maxime Colin

explains to

20 Minutes

. The rapporteur considered that, as things stood, the measures taken by the Société du Grand Paris for the conservation of protected species were insufficient.

The magistrate therefore requested a stay of proceedings, which will de facto lead to a suspension of work for a period of nine to ten months for the Société du Grand Paris to revise its impact study and its compensation measures.

The opinions of the public rapporteurs are generally followed by the administrative court, which must render its decision on September 30.

"We are confident that justice will follow the opinion of the rapporteur," said Bernard Loup, head of the Collective for the Triangle de Gonesse (CPTG).

Contacted by

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, the Société du Grand Paris declined to comment, considering that the procedure was "in progress".

"We must stop wanting to do it at all costs"

Line 17 of the Grand Paris Express was supposed to serve the EuropaCity mega-complex project, a project abandoned by the government at the end of 2019. "The objective is not to call into question line 17", assured the Elysee at the time. But its opponents argue that in the state, the station will serve ... fields.

“We are talking about zero soil artificialization and we continue to build train lines in the fields!

"Deplores Bernard Loup, who adds:" This line 17 was already at the limits of profitability, we are now sure that it will be in deficit.

We must stop wanting to do it at all costs, and instead focus on the improvements expected by residents on the RER D ”.

The project for a new terminal at Roissy, the “T4”, having also been abandoned this year, line 17 definitely has serious obstacles in its path.

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  • Environment

  • Paris

  • Gonesse

  • Nature