The Environmental Authority criticizes the extension of Lille airport

• The environmental authority has just issued a new report on the Lille-Lesquin airport extension and modernization project.

• The conclusions, quite critical on the environmental issues, give food to grind to the opponents of the project.

• Opponents who denounce, from the beginning, "the climatic and economic nonsense of the project" of an expansion of the airport.

New zone of turbulence.

At the start of the month, the environmental authority (EA) issued a new report on the project to extend and modernize Lille-Lesquin airport.

Its conclusions, quite critical on the environmental issues, give food to grind to the opponents who denounce, from the beginning, "the climatic and economic nonsense of the project".

takes stock of this sensitive issue.

Inauguration date postponed

The arrival of new managers in January 2020 gave rise to a 50% extension and renovation project for Lille-Lesquin airport, considered close to saturation in terms of traffic.

There was talk of doubling the number of travelers by 2040, from 2 to 4 million per year.

However, the Covid-19 crisis has gone through this and the project has taken a back seat with the drastic drop in the number of air trips.

So much so that at the beginning of the year, the inauguration date of the new air terminal, scheduled for 2023, was postponed

.

Nevertheless, the file continues to advance in the administrative field, pending the arrival of the first construction machinery.

The building permit was filed during the summer and a new step was to go under the caudine forks of the AE.

Half-passed exam.

The authority considers in particular that "the part devoted to the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions is excessively optimistic because of the unrealistic assumptions on which it is based".

An opinion that requires resuming the study.

To the great satisfaction of the collective of opponents called Nada (No at Lesquin airport), which sees a confirmation of its warnings.

"The good environmental intentions displayed by the project promoters will in no case be enough to offset the harmful effects of this increase in greenhouse gas emissions," he slips in an online petition.

"The plane of the future should be the train"

“Today we are witnessing a total denial of the aeronautics industry with the fad of agrofuels and hydrogen which would require the replacement of the aircraft fleet at a breakneck pace.

However, we are at only 1.4% per year.

We can see that this is not possible, ”assures Constant, co-president of Nada.

The latter considers that the extension does not have to be: “Two thirds of the flights are internal flights which can be replaced by the train.

The plane is a privileged means of transport, 30% of the population have never taken it.

The plane of the future should be the train ”.

Avoid the development of urbanization

Other aspects of the project are also the subject of criticism from the EA, in particular “the extension envisaged for car parks (…) likely to have an induced impact on the environment and human health”.

In fact, the service to the airport relies heavily on private cars.

The AE therefore recommends adopting dissuasive parking rates to "encourage users to use public transport" and, moreover, "to perpetuate the suspension of the real estate program to avoid the development of urbanization and its consequences. impacts on agricultural land and road traffic ”.

Nighttime curfew?

Among the subjects which annoy, the authority also recommends "to consider a night curfew so as to guarantee to the residents of the night beaches of at least seven hours of continuous rest".

When contacted, Lille-Lesquin airport declined to comment on this opinion.

“We are going to produce a brief in response,” emphasizes the communications department.

Brief which will be made public as part of the public inquiry which is to begin in January and last for one month.

"

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