The award of the public works contract for Place Sully in Nogent-le-Rotrou (Eure-et-Loir) was approved at an exceptional municipal council meeting at the end of July. Construction has been scheduled to begin on October 5, 2023. "The objective of the mandate is to renovate all the central spaces of the city. We started with the Place Saint-Pol, which has been home to the communal market since Gallo-Roman times. The Place Sully construction site follows the same line with an extension of pedestrian spaces, the reorganization of parking in the blue zone and a greening component, "says Harold Huwart, the DVG mayor of this municipality of 10,000 inhabitants.
Oaks of the Perche
On this small banal and entirely concrete square, a dozen oaks of high stems of the Perche, adapted to the climate and the soil, will make their appearance. About thirty places have been preserved. "You can't make a pedestrian square in a small town in a rural area without taking the risk of seeing the city center wither," admits the edile. "The city lives because people come from outside. We must make the pedestrian cohabit with the car."
After the transformation of Place Saint-Pol, Place Sully will be the subject of work from 5 October./DR
In this regard, the parking lot has been "rationalized and constricted in a corner, covered by an urban forest, which improves the aesthetics of this square," he says. "Experience shows that residents buy into the project as soon as the tall trees are planted. Greening is the key to public acceptance."
These improvements and the expansion of sidewalks will finally help reduce the speed of cars. The route of Place Sully provides for a single crossing, instead of two currently. "The challenge was to secure the surroundings for people who walk or cycle between the lower and upper towns." The investment is valued at 600,000 euros.
