• This Thursday was held at the Administrative Court (TA) of Lille, a hearing concerning the urbanization project of the Saint-Sauveur wasteland, in Lille.

  • In 2014, the city announced that it wanted to turn this former SNCF freight station into a new district.

  • The public rapporteur requested the cancellation of the deliberations on the "general interest" of the project.

It is a file which dates, and which drags.

This Thursday was held at the Administrative Court (TA) of Lille, a hearing concerning the urbanization project of the Saint-Sauveur wasteland, in Lille.

In 2014, the city announced that it wanted to turn this former SNCF freight station into a new district.

Except that the public rapporteur asked for the cancellation of the deliberations on the "general interest" of the project.

If his opinion is followed by the judge, the development of the wasteland risks being stopped.

The decision is due on October 14.

Eco-district against green zone

For seven years the opponents of this development project have made their voices heard, considering that this industrial wasteland of 23 ha (about 46 football fields) must remain a corner of nature in the heart of the city.

Two associations, ASPI and Parc, are thus leading the fight in the legal field.

Eco-district against green zone, the two social projects clash and justice will have to decide.

To understand the issues, you have to rewind.

In 2018, the city and the metropolis of Lille - which jointly carry out this project since the decision to install an Olympic swimming pool - are organizing a public inquiry.

This involves informing the population of the project which provides between 2,000 and 2,400 housing units, shops, a gymnasium, an 8 ha park and a nautical complex.

However, a few months later, following a first appeal by the associations, the administrative court suspended the project, in summary proceedings.

At the time, the justice accused the city of a somewhat sloppy public inquiry, and especially of not having conducted any study on the impact on air quality.

"The irregularity of the procedure"

Whatever, a second additional public inquiry is launched in 2019. New appeal from associations who still believe that the project would worsen air pollution in the neighborhood.

This time, the metropolis of Lille is accused of having wanted to save time with this additional investigation.

Worse, the public rapporteur denounces "the irregularity of the procedure" and "incomplete environmental impact studies".

He believes that "these insufficiencies have affected the complete information of the population".

For example, the 40m diving pit in the Olympic Basin is never mentioned, while the equipment may affect the water table.

The general interest at the heart of the debate

"There was a desire to keep information away from the public," says Muriel Ruef, lawyer for the two associations.

We cannot assess the general interest of a project if it is missing elements.

"For the lawyer of the MEL, Thibault Soleilhac," the general interest of the project remains at the heart of the debate ".

"The public rapporteur has pronounced on the irregularity of the procedure, but not on the content of the general interest", he notes.

In any case, this opinion of the public rapporteur in favor of associations is welcomed with satisfaction by the latter.

"We calmly await the judge's decision," they say in a statement.

Lille

The future of the Lille Saint-Sauveur district project doubly in the hands of justice

Lille

The director of the film "Demain" denounces the use of his image for the promotion of a real estate project, in Lille

  • Justice

  • Pollution

  • District

  • Town planning

  • Lille