a collective pushes back a real estate developer
The collective of the “Joyful Gardens” of Rouen (Seine-Maritime) mobilized for several months, finally won their case in their fight against concrete and for renaturation.
The Interceltic Festival of Lorient 2022
The demonstration crossed the streets of downtown Rouen on the afternoon of Saturday September 17, 2022. More than 300 people marched at the call of the “Joyful Gardens” collective for a national demonstration against the artificialization of land .
Among the protesters: Jean-Michel Beregovoy, deputy mayor of Rouen in charge of coordinating the tools of participatory democracy, local policy and the social and solidarity economy. Like the members of the “Joyful Gardens” collective, he had taken a stand against a real estate project in downtown Rouen.
A former convent, the former Sainte-Marie home, located rue de Joyeuse in the Saint-Nicaise district (between the town hall and the place du Boulingrin) was sold in 2017. A real estate developer decided to transform it into a large prestigious project of 150 new housing units whose construction involves the demolition of part of part of the existing building and the destruction of a large garden.
Opposed to this project, a collective called “Joyful Gardens” had occupied the premises in June 2021 to demand the safeguarding of the 4000 m2 of threatened gardens.
After months of struggle (and an eviction by the police), the defenders of “dignity, nature and the preservation of life” have, during their parade in the streets of Rouen, announced good news . A victory against the real estate developer, as explained by Mickaël Helot, member of the Jardins Joyeux collective, to our journalist Karima Saïdi:
“Cedelka is stepping back! There are still buildings, concrete that will be poured, but we will say that the essentials have been saved, that is to say the gardens. ‘ building, vegetable gardens.”
video length: 01min 53
VIDEO: in Rouen, the mobilization of a collective pushes back a promoter
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©France Televisions
As specified on Facebook Jean-Michel Bérégovoy, in parallel with the mobilization of activists from the “Joyful Gardens” collective, a “long work of conviction” was carried out within the municipal council to prevent the destruction of the gardens:
“After hard work with the various actors, with Fatima EL Khili, [maire adjointe de Rouen en charge de l’urbanisme et du patrimoine bâti] we brought to the mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol an alternative project which he supported and proposed to the promoter Cedelka.”
“An agreement was finally reached which led to the preservation of the gardens, the objective of ecologists, members of the JJ association and a large number of citizens and residents. From now on, it is appropriate for us to sign the memorandum of understanding. Then will begin for us a participative work to create a shared garden and a public garden on this now preserved space and which reinforces our project of revegetation and adaptation of our municipal territory. This fight of several months has been fertilized and now what the gardens will be fertilized.
Another real estate project, located on the left bank of Rouen, near the Jardin des Plantes, is also, under the name of “Save the 40”, the subject of a mobilization against its realization.