Farewell American ogre, welcome to regional and national businesses. Amazon, the online commerce giant, will not land with its mountains of parcels in Montbert, a town of 3,100 inhabitants located south of Nantes (Loire-Atlantique). Johann Boblin, president (Les Républicains) of the community of communes of Grand-Lieu, the land-owning community, decided, Monday, October 25, to put a stop to the project to set up the company on the site of ‘old hospital wastelands.
A building permit unveiled in March 2020 aimed to create a logistics platform of 185,000 square meters and gave hope for the creation of a thousand jobs at the very least. The arrival of the company of billionaire Jeff Bezos – “ synonymous with tax evasion, subcontracting and precariousness ” in the eyes of the Stop Amazon 44 collective – quickly united the opposition of residents, associations and unions, supported by the left and environmentalists. The installation of a zone to defend (ZAD) was feared by the authorities.
A group of local residents has initiated – thanks to the support of Friends of the Earth – an action contesting the modification permit for the activity zone. The file was since “Stuck” within technical and legal constraints, according to Mr. Boblin, also regional adviser. “ At best, the logistics center could not have emerged from the ground until 2025 ”, states the elected LR, i.e. a date “Very distant” of the initial project, making the operation fragile “For all the players”.
Elected officials are now betting on the arrival of industrialists “Engaged in a deep movement of relocation” and explain “Prefer the rapid creation of jobs to a prospect which has become more and more hypothetical with Amazon”.
“Economic and environmental nonsense”
Of “Major implantation projects” are being studied, says Boblin, who hopes to see the park’s commercialization completed within three years, with a thousand jobs up for grabs.
Member of the collective that initiated the litigation, Jean-Baptiste Meugniot welcomes “A wise decision which takes into account the evolution of the local economic fabric and the opposition in place”. Lucie Etonno and Matthieu Orphelin, elected regional ecologists, welcome a ” Victoire “ for the territory and local employment, ensuring: “The establishment of this XXL warehouse, one of the largest in France, was economic and environmental nonsense. “
Christelle Morancais, President (LR) of Pays de la Loire, “Remains in favor of installing Amazon” on the region so as not to lose “A great opportunity in terms of jobs”. Allied to the presidential majority, the deputy of Loire-Atlantique François de Rugy, also elected regional, is on the same wavelength and is worried to see the Loire-Atlantique “Affected by spoiled children syndrome” due to the contestation of many projects in the territory. When contacted, Amazon did not respond to our requests.