The time of justice is a long time, which very strongly constrains the construction of the Aubervilliers swimming pool (93), yet expected to be the training pool for swimmers during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. After having first put the site on hold, then authorized the builders to resume work, the justice system has again just suspended the work.
The administrative court of appeal of Paris ordered this Wednesday, March 9 the stop “without delay” of the work of the training pool of Aubervilliers, almost a month after having invalidated the local urban plan allowing the partial destruction of allotment gardens of the Virtues.
Victoire !!! The judge in chambers has just ruled on our appeal!
Pool work must be suspended IMMEDIATELY!!!
Is not it @francletkarine @aubervilliers93 pic.twitter.com/GTLlvDOkkP
– JAD – Gardens to defend Aubervilliers (@JardinsAuber) March 9, 2022
A victory for the defenders of the site, including the collective Jardins à Défendre d’Aubervilliers (JAD), who have been campaigning for many months to prevent the progress of the site and to put forward their arguments against this construction which they consider “useless”.
“Useless” according to them, “because, the height of cynicism, it is not the ponds that will destroy the gardens but a “Splashpad, a pentagliss, a mineral solarium and a Finnish village” all this in one of the poorest neighborhoods of France”, they explain.
Work with irreversible consequences
The decision of the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal is therefore a relief for them, but above all the logical continuation of that rendered on February 10, in which this competent body in disputes related to Olympic structures, had asked to preserve these 10 hectares. Green spaces.
Several plots have already been destroyed by diggers to build additional equipment for the swimming pool. The Court had thus ordered the Plaine Commune intermunicipality, chaired by the socialist Mathieu Hanotin, to review the local intermunicipal urban plan modified to authorize the urbanization of these allotments.
Despite this court decision, nothing had changed. The site continued, the communities concerned considering that the building permit was not called into question.
Except that this work “is likely to cause difficult reversible consequences on the garden plots of the Virtues even though it is a primary core of biodiversity”, recalled the judge in chambers.
The town hall of Aubervilliers is preparing its response
A decision of which the UDI mayor of Aubervilliers, Karine Franclet, became aware, who indicated in a press release that she was already “studying this decision to consider the follow-up to be given […] with our advisers and our partners, Plaine Commune and the State services.
Because if the municipality has obviously assured that “the decision rendered by the judge in chambers of the administrative court of appeal of Paris would be well executed”, the fact remains that each day of lost construction site puts a little more no assurance that it will be delivered in time for the Olympics. “A communication will be made at the end of this analysis”, announced the office of the mayor.
A halt that disrupts the schedule, since the delivery of the infrastructure of 30 million euros – including 10 million euros paid by Solideo (Olympic works delivery company) – was initially planned in less than one year, in January 2023, for commissioning in May 2023. But nothing says that the deadlines can be met, after so many adventures.
As a reminder, the judge in chambers had already decided to suspend the work on September 20, before lifting this suspension two months later, on November 23. This had already caused the site to lose two months. The work of the aquatic center was then able to legally resume “at this stage of the litigation procedure”, which must still be judged on the merits.