two appeals filed before the administrative court of Toulouse
Representatives of associations as well as elected officials filed two appeals before the Toulouse administrative court, against the construction of the Bordeaux-Toulouse and Bordeaux-Dax high-speed lines.
The fight continues. Despite the creation of the GPSO (Grand Projet Sud Ouest), the approval of the financing of the LGV by the government and the support of several communities, associations and elected officials continuing to mobilize against the Bordeaux-Toulouse and Bordeaux high-speed line projects -Dax. This Thursday, nearly a hundred associations and 70 individuals, as well as 81 elected officials from New Aquitaine and Occitanie, each filed an appeal before an administrative court in Toulouse.
A legal lever activated in line with the actions justified by opponents since the genesis of the project. “This component is the third pillarexplains Denise Cassou, from the Vigilance LGV Gironde coordination. The other two are first of all the work in the field, informing and mobilizing the public about this project and its consequences, then the work on the file. We dissect the data and show that there are manipulations of figures.
Main objective: to obtain the cancellation of the financing plan of the GPSO, central element of the project, established at 14 billion euros. This determines in particular the participation of the New Aquitaine and Occitanie regions, as well as the departments and communities of municipalities concerned, including the metropolises of Bordeaux and Toulouse. A participation which, according to these associations, would have evolved over time. “What motivated us in this specific appeal is the little tinkering that we discovered in the way of developing this financing plansays Philippe Barbedienne, president of SEPANSO (Society for the study, protection and development of nature in the South-West). Some communities voted on different plans and then everything was put together at the end. Except that the people who voted at the beginning didn’t vote for the figures that were presented at the end. Sufficient to be recognized as grounds for nullity by the court, according to the associations.
This argument is added to a list already well supplied by the opponents of the LGV. “This project is deadly and destructive, it is not suitable because it captures money that must be used elsewheredetails Denise Cassou. It also creates a feeling of contempt for rural areas. We sit on their advice as they express their displeasure. They feel that they are going to be landlocked and that they are also going to have to pay. It’s the kind of thing that brings yellow vests or protest votes at the ballot box. This is a clear sign of mismatch with the terrain.
People will see the value of their house granted, and could not even sell their property to settle elsewhere.
Philippe Barbedienne, President of SEPANSO
Observations confirmed by SEPANSO, responsible above all for environmental issues. “This unacceptable project would artificialize 4800 hectares of forest, agricultural land and Natura 2000 sites. For that alone, it is”, believes Philippe Barbedienne. But the consequences for the inhabitants lead the association to go beyond its primary role. “People will see the value of their house drop like this, and could not even sell their property to settle elsewhere, it’s scandalouscontinues the president of SEPANSO. We also sacrifice the traditional networks and the daily trains, much more used than the TGV. We are going to make lines that will benefit small minorities and disadvantage others, and this always results in a lack of maintenance on the small lines, sometimes left abandoned because they are deemed not to be commendable.
The solution, according to opponents: invest this money in TER lines. “There are very simple adjustments which could be made immediately for a minimal cost, and which will make it possible to improve local servicesassures Denise Cassou, from the Vigilance LGV Gironde coordination. On the contrary, this overpriced project would reduce the capacities and means authorized for daily trains.
Armed with these arguments, associations and individuals could see their approach supported by the parallel action of 81 local elected officials, including the environmental mayors of Bordeaux and Bègles, Pierre Hurmic and Clément Rossignol Puech. They also filed this Thursday an appeal before the administrative court of Toulouse, and hope for a favorable outcome to this legal battle which opposes the State and the communities. Until then, associations and individuals are organizing an interregional meeting this Saturday, April 30, from 2:30 p.m. at the Athénée municipal de Bordeaux, to make their voices heard.