Le Figaro Nantes
In front of the plot demarcated by brand new fences, inside which strips of concrete rub shoulders with scattered piles of earth, Luc Vandeputte sighs:
“What a waste...!”
.
It is in front of this symbolic place that the president of the “Reunited Villages of Saint-Herblain Ouest” arranged to meet us.
On February 23, the Council of State ruled in their favor: work to develop this plot into an integration site for migrant populations from Eastern Europe cannot continue.
For a year, the 150 families of the Herblinois association, located on the outskirts of Nantes, have been fighting against this pioneering project in the metropolis.
Its purpose was to accommodate Roma families, with a declared professional activity, for several months, before redirecting them to traditional housing.
A way of
“resolving the slums”
, as Bertrand Affilé
,
the mayor of Saint-Herblain, explains to Le
Figaro
, which is home to almost a quarter of the city's Roma population, around 700.
Also read: Labor, resourcefulness and theft: at the heart of the 56 slums in the Nantes region
No consultation
The councilor knew that the implementation of this project would arouse disapproval.
Perhaps less so with residents further away, sometimes living a kilometer away.
“We knew that the immediate residents would not want it
,” he continues, defending a strategic geographical location because
it is “connected to the world”
thanks to a bus stop and easily connected to the water and sanitation networks
“at lower cost"
.
At the forefront of this project, Alain and Brigitte were literally
“shot down”
on March 2, 2023, when they heard the news.
The couple, who claim not to have the privilege of being connected to the sanitation network despite repeated requests, bought a house in 1987 before moving there three years later.
These retirees have spent their lives renovating their property with their own hands to transform it into a welcoming space, almost making us forget the departmental road located a few meters away.
“I was going to play in the field.
Animals looked after it
,” remembers Élodie with nostalgia, visiting her parents with her little daughter in her arms, thinking back to the unnatural terrain.
If Saint-Herblain and its 50,000 inhabitants make the town the third in the department (44), a village atmosphere reigns at the place called L'Ormelière.
It is therefore quite natural that a revolt has arisen against the municipal initiative, also defended by the State.
“We didn’t want our green areas to be concreted over.
We wanted to preserve the village.
We felt that it was necessary to carry out an environmental study
,” insists the president of the association Luc Vandeputte, specifying that he usually works hand in hand with the community.
But this time, the members were not able to remain silent in the face of non-respect for the environment, the first argument of their mobilization:
“Inclusion remains our concern”
, assures the former director of MSA (Mutualité sociale agricole) , who claims to have other ideas for locations.
“They will have to find solutions to eliminate the slums. This is not acceptable in 2024
,” says Gilles from his car, whose exterior of his former company had once been squatted by Roma.
But for him, it must be done according to the rules:
“We must respect the law.
With global warming, we are artificializing less... Here, we are doing quite the opposite.
Everything is done in reverse to serve the interests of certain people
,” he marvels, passing in front of the unfinished construction site.
In Saint-Herblain, residents mobilized against the arrival of a temporary integration site for Roma
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It is in particular the permit to develop land intended to accommodate fifteen mobile homes (14 + 1 planned for an association intended to collect rents and ensure monitoring) that the local residents took to court, after an amicable appeal rejected by the town hall (as told at the time by
Ouest France
).
For them, this municipal agricultural plot could not accommodate these housing units, among other things for reasons of zoning and classification linked to the environment.
They therefore turned to the administrative court.
The first provisional decision rendered in July - pending the judgment on the merits - did not agree with them.
The work then did not stop, despite their attempt - they had delayed the start by stationing themselves in front of the excavators, before being dislodged by the CRS.
But the applicants, who all put their hands in their wallets to receive legal support, appealed to the Court of Cassation.
On January 20, the public rapporteur released a file giving them hope.
A presentiment confirmed by the February decision.
If another substantive judgment is expected in the coming months, they remain confident for the future.
And will not hesitate to return to the State Council if necessary.
“I regret that this project is delayed and is doing so on legal grounds which do not seem excessively positive to me
,” retorts the mayor, Bertrand Affilé.
The decision having fallen at the start of the winter holidays, there is time to reflect on the future of the site.
“We are collectively waiting to see how to follow up on this
. ”
Read alsoThe establishment of an “integration site” for Roma is controversial near Nantes
Damages
“It’s a financial waste. We informed the town hall that we were going to the Council of State. They will have to restore the plot
,” regrets Matthieu Bonneau, member of the office.
On the descriptive sign, the amount of the operation amounts to more than one million euros.
Two neighbors have moved in recent months, mainly due to the latest events, assure the pillars of the hamlet Alain and Brigitte.
They themselves feared the devaluation of their house and imagined the worst about cohabitation with their future neighbors, which initially should have arrived at the end of 2023. Because behind the arguments linked to the environment, daily nuisances were also feared.
Even if the mayor assures that trees have been planted to maintain their privacy.
Initially, in his campaign program, Bertrand Affilé announced the creation of two temporary integration sites.
“We were waiting to see how the first one worked
,” he explains.
Not sure the second one will see the light of day anytime soon.