Olympic Games 2024: justice authorizes the resumption of work on a training pool

The Paris Administrative Court of Appeal on Tuesday lifted the suspension of the building permit for a training pool for the Paris-2024 Olympic Games in Aubervilliers, allowing “the resumption of work” despite the opposition of defenders of the environment.

“The interim judge granted the request of the municipality of Aubervilliers and lifted the effects of the suspension he had ordered on September 20, as well as the injunction to put an end to the work concerned. The work of the aquatic center can therefore legally resume, at this stage of the contentious procedure “which must be judged on the merits in December, said the court in a press release.

A century-old enclave of amputated greenery

In its order, this court, competent in disputes related to the Olympics, considered that the city had “regularized” the points which had initially led to the suspension of the site: the legality of the building permit, compensation in terms of town planning ( tree plantations in particular) and above all the presence of a restaurant within this public facility, now transformed into a “fitness and well-being area”.

Three gardeners and two environmental defense associations are at the initiative of this emergency procedure against the project, which involves the destruction of plots of allotment gardens. The construction of this training pool amputates approximately 4,000 m2 from a century-old enclave of greenery. Hundreds of people showed their hostility to the project by demonstrating and even, for a handful of them, by occupying the site for four months before being evacuated.

Worth 33 million euros, the swimming pool must be part of the Olympic calendar to benefit from subsidies from Solideo (the company responsible for delivering the works for the 2024 Olympics), which finances a third of the cost of the project, and be ready in time to welcome the athletes.