Could the Green Fund save the urban farm project in Les Pradettes?
Deputy François Piquemal (Nupes) carries the voice of the NATURES Pradettes de Toulouse association to the National Assembly by questioning the Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, about the criteria for allocating the Green Fund promised at the end of August. The latter, intended for local authorities, could help the collective to overcome the lack of funding to buy the municipal wasteland located in the Pradettes district in order to set up, after long months of debates with the Town Hall, the urban farm project. .
Collective NATURE Pradettes does not abandon its project to install an urban farm In Toulouse. At the end of August, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne promised the creation of a “Green Fund”, endowed with 1.5 billion euros, intended for local authorities in order to fight against global warming. This aid should, for example, be used by municipalities to finance the energy renovation of public buildings. Or to ensure the preservation of islands of freshness in the towns.
An opportunity for the NATURES Pradettes association which thus hopes relaunch its urban farm project in the district of the same name. Explanations.
An urban farm project in Les Pradettes buried by the Town Hall, for lack of funding
The project to create an urban farm on the last undeveloped land in Les Pradettes emerged in 2019, led by the collective of neighborhood associations, which represents more than 3,000 members. However, the Town Hall of Toulouse had a completely different idea in mind for this wasteland: that of sell the land to a real estate developer to build more than 300 homes there.
It was then that NATURES Pradettes was born. An association responsible for putting together a solid file to convince the Town Hall to sell the land in order to install shared gardens, an educational farm, a market garden, etc. After more than a year of work, this file has indeed been handed over to elected officials last April. Without success. The mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc, categorically refused the proposals, for lack of financial guarantees.
“As it stands, this installation resulted in a significant loss of revenue (3.8 million euros) in the balance sheet of the development program for the Bordeblanche district. Without these revenues, the community no longer able to finance the construction of future public facilities, nor the construction of roads and service infrastructures remaining to be developed in the district”, explained the Town Hall of Toulouse. An opinion drafted by the association carrying out the project, which had accused the City of not not having paid real attention to the file.
Toulouse beneficiary of the Green Fund? The question put to the National Assembly
Following Élisabeth Borne’s announcement of the establishment of a 1.5 billion euro green fund for communities, the deputy for the fourth constituency of Haute-Garonne, François Piquemal (Nupes), seized of the file. In fact, the elected last week challenged the Prime Minister about the conditions for granting this state aid for ecological transition.
“The member clearly asked the government if a city without an ecological policy, which favors concreting at all costs, could still benefit from this Fund”, raises Philippe Lebailly, co-president of NATURES Pradette, targeting the town hall of Toulouse. François Piquemal also questioned the government on potential compensation for communities for their financial losses in the case of safeguarding cool areas or biodiversity in cities.
🌿 This morning in support of the urban farm project of #pradettes a #Toulouse.
✊ The inhabitants and associations of the Pradettes district are mobilized to preserve an island of freshness.
✍️ I challenged the government with a written question: https://t.co/brlRvhpShK pic.twitter.com/U16bR1ucVA
— Francois Piquemal (@FraPiquemal) September 30, 2022
3.8 million euros to buy the Pradettes land
The Prime Minister has not, for the time being, given any answer to the deputy for Haute-Garonne. But according to Philippe Lebailly, if Toulouse benefited from part of this aid, things would be unblocked for the Pradettes wasteland. “In the file that we submitted to the Town Hall in April, it is well and truly explained that we are settling all the financing necessary for the installation of an urban farm on the land. That we don’t have on the other hand, it’s the money to buy this land, in the amount of 3.8 million euros. But they knew it from the start: we don’t want to acquire the land. We want the Town Hall to remain the owner, and simply install the above facilities there. But it highlighted the financial losses that this “non-sale of the land” would cause to refuse our proposals”, he explains.
Precisely, what the association hopes today is that the Green Fund released by the government can make up for this lack with the community. So the land didn’t need to be purchased. And that later, the urban farm can finally be installed there.