An “underground cathedral”.

About 300 people, including environmental activists, speleologists or simple inhabitants demonstrated on Sunday in Meudon (Hauts-de-Seine) to demand the abandonment of the filling of the old Arnaudet chalk quarries.

The start of this filling project is planned for June on this site, which has been classified as a historical monument since 1986.

According to the prefecture and the town hall of Meudon, the quarries located under the Rodin hill "risk a general collapse", which "imposes the realization of security works": "weakened pillars could collapse" according to a study by Ineris, a public institute of risk expertise, cited by the prefecture.

⚪ #Heritage: the @VilledeMeudon has made the decision to fill its chalk quarries.

Residents, architects and geologists are mobilizing.

© Nicolas Dudot #careers #blancdemeudon #Meudon #geology https://t.co/kkyrml2JKB pic.twitter.com/Dsz1sYWUdi

– The Journal of the Arts (@JDAofficiel) April 15, 2022


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Galleries popular with geologists and cataphiles

This expertise is called into question by the opponents who see in this work the opportunity for the city "to consolidate a ground today unbuildable" to then develop real estate projects there.

"No to securing by filling which will make this network of galleries inaccessible", launched Sunday Magdalena Labbé, one of the opponents of the project, regretting "the relentlessness of the city on this site".

This underground quarry, known for its 8 km long galleries, some of which have ribbed vaults, was exploited to extract chalk between 1870 and 1925.

Since the 1970s, their access has been closed to the public but they remain popular with geological researchers and cataphiles.

In April, the Council of State validated the project which plans to fill 45% of the galleries with 48,000 cubic meters of earth from construction sites in Ile-de-France.

A park above the quarries

This "partial" filling will leave accessible galleries that can give access to all geological, artistic, historical or ethnographic centers of interest, says the prefecture.

For opponents, including specialists, the choice of filling is the one that “alters the site the most” and presents “greater risks of destabilizing unfilled galleries”. 

All defend "the Masonic reinforcement" of the pillars, like Didier Merle, the president of the regional commission for geological heritage, whose letter of support was read on Sunday at the demonstration which left from the town hall to the quarries.

The materials used for this filling will be “strictly supervised, explains the prefecture, while emphasizing that” the use of building waste “or” materials from tunnel boring machines are strictly prohibited “.

After the works, a park will be created above the quarries.

This space "will not be urbanized", assures the prefecture which specifies that if the place is part of the current call for projects "Let's invent the Metropolis of Greater Paris 3", the winning project "will not overlook the classified site".

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  • Paris

  • Ile-de-France

  • Urbanization

  • CONTESTATION

  • Planet