Stop on the road to 2024 olympics. The administrative court of appeal of Paris ordered on May 5, 2020 the suspension of the work of reorganization of the road junction of Pleyel in Saint-Denis authorized by prefectural decree of November 22, 2019 declaring the development of public interest. The departmental council of parents of students from Seine-Saint-Denis (FCPE 93), the association Vivre à Pleyel and residents of the district have taken legal action to protest against the little case made in their opinion during the investigation public. “The reorganization project for the interchange means that one of the access ramps passes right outside the door of a crèche and a school group of 700 students is located nearby”, specifies Coline Robert, the plaintiffs’ lawyer.
Not a word on the local consequences both in terms of noise and pollution
In its public inquiry file, the Ministry of Ecological Transition, which defends the project, recalls that this reorganization must ultimately lead to a reduction in emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, which is the least for an entity in charge of air quality in France. But the decree does not say a word about the local consequences both in terms of noise and for nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. “However, locally and especially at the crèche, emissions can increase by 10 micrograms per m3 of NOx in a district which already exceeds the thresholds laid down by European directives on air quality and which is worth to France to be attacked before the European court of justiceSays Coline Robert.
The impacts of the developments must be considered as a whole
The administrative court pointed to another complaint. The decree does not specify that the new structure must be used to serve the Olympic village. However, the environmental code requires that the impacts of a development must be considered as a whole. Thus, all damage to the environment caused by any kind of work, however minimal it may be but related to sports competition, must be attributed to the organization of the Olympic and Para-Olympic games. “There is no question of ditching the impact studies of the projects, it is only one and the same event which is concerned ”, recalls Coline Robert.
The decision of the administrative court of appeal suspended the works. The State can appeal to the Council of State. But it will take a decision on the fund to decide or not an outright cancellation of the works of the Pleyel crossroads as they are designed today which could take a year. In the meantime, the magistrates have made a useful recall. The Olympic Games must leave the urban fabric of Ile-de-France cleaner than they found when they entered.
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