Here is a new weighty support for the environmental associations opposed to the last development project of the central part of the Seguin island in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine).
The host Stéphane Bern, influential "Mr. Heritage", went there this Wednesday afternoon at the request of Julien Bayou, regional councilor (EELV) of Ile-de-France and candidate for the presidency of the region .
A rather unexpected duo.
Yet this is not the first time that the struggles of the two men - ecological for one, heritage for the other - intersect.
They had indeed met for the first time in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis) on the site of the old arboreal plots of Murs-à-Pêches, where a real estate program was planned.
It is on the western slope of the capital, this time, that the two men thus join for a new fight: to preserve the memory and the landscape of the Seguin island.
"There is a string of islands on the Seine that must absolutely be protected," warns the host, who is in charge of the Loto du patrimoine operation.
Eighteen associations refuse the construction of offices
Rendezvous was given at the foot of Caesar's thumb raised in front of the musical Seine.
Stéphane Bern first listened to the various representatives of the signatory associations of the joint declaration concerning the island.
Eighteen of them oppose the development of the central part of the island which provides for a garden of 15,000 square meters, 123,500 square meters of offices, including a 96-meter tower and 6,500 square meters of shops.
“There have been a lot of projects over time on this island that have not come to fruition, like that of Pinault, we will end up with offices while teleworking is more than ever put forward, it is a lack of vision for the future, ”said the host.
But the latter especially wants to highlight the industrial heritage of this island which hosted Renault factories from 1929 to 1992.
“Seguin Island has a working memory, it cannot be ignored and it must be respected.
The industrial heritage is as important as the classical heritage of monuments and castles.
I think of all those who worked there for years in the assembly line and see instead coming of the sores, sorry for the term, working in offices… That saddens me ”, insists Stéphane Bern.
Towards a contentious appeal?
If the host is counting on his notoriety to help associations, the candidate for regional elections hopes to lead the debate around the river: “We must give legal personality to the Seine, give rights to nature.
There is the ventilation aspect not to be forgotten: we can clearly see in an epidemic context how important it is to have ventilation corridors, ”says Julien Bayou.
For the associations, these new supports allow them to show their “determination”.
While the building permit for the offices was filed last November, several of them filed a graceful appeal in early January.
Newsletter The essential of 92
A tour of the Hauts-de-Seine and IDF news
Subscribe to the newsletterAll newsletters
"We were very kindly received by the consortium of DBS developers
(Editor's note: Boulogne Seguin Development, which includes the three developers Hines, Icade and Vinci Immobilier)
, but we will certainly go to litigation, we have not said our last word, ”says Bernard Landau, president of the association La Seine is not for sale.
The mayor denounces a "political act"
"It's a political act", retorts Pierre-Christophe Baguet, mayor (LR) of Boulogne-Billancourt who recalls having been "side by side" with Stéphane Bern to restore the Rothschild castle.
"It was not I who destroyed the Renault factories, the memory of this heritage is included in the project with the Pavilion of Memory and, beyond that, it is I who fought to save the historic portico Renault for the facade of the school, we have reinstalled the siren of the factories in Place Jules-Guesde, I am not counting the hundreds of thousands of euros that the city has spent to safeguard the industrial heritage ”, he lists.
Regarding the criticism of the offices, the mayor believes that there is a consistency with the culture.
"If they plan to put nothing at all, OK, if the State gives me the millions of euros in compensation tomorrow
(Editor's note: DBS has paid out 329 million for the plot)
, no problem", ironically- he does.
With the recent support of the State, which issued the Water Law decree - approving the taking into account of the challenges of the Seine by the developer and in particular for the methods of flood prevention -, the city hopes to see complete the project before the end of 2024.
