The dispute at Notre-Dame-des-Landes over construction of a new regional airport is one I’ve only half followed. The city of Nantes and regional development authorities want to create an new airport serving the city and central-western France. Supporters argue it's needed to replace the existing Nantes airport that's approaching saturation in terms of its capacity to handle planes and passengers. Environmental organizations have challenged this rationale and groups of activists currently occupy part of the lands scheduled for development.
Tuesday of this week the Tribunal de grande instance of Saint-Nazaire (generally equivalent to a U.S. superior court of original jurisdiction) ruled that the préfet of the department of Loire-Atlantique and the entity Aéroport du Grand Ouest, a subsidiary of the private conglomerate Vinci, had authority to dismantle a collection of temporary huts constructed by the activists. At the same time, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has called together a commission to start a dialogue with the opponents. Ayrault, previously mayor of Nantes, has been a long-time airport supporter. The departmental préfet has said that, with his authority clarified, he'll act to clear away the huts at the “opportune moment,” suggesting he may wait a bit while the the government tries to start the dialogue process. Meanwhile, the two sides are in a face-off.
Generally, it seems the French left has been of two minds about the project. More traditional Socialists tend to see in the airport a large project creating jobs and regional economic growth; the facility would cover approximately 4,500 acres or about 7 square miles. Building and operating the airport would provide jobs and, presumably, boost economic development around the Loire estuary and in Brittany. Younger, more environmentally-oriented Socialists see a large project consuming valuable farm land and natural habitats without sufficient economic justification.
As I’ve said, I’m coming late to this issue. Even so, as I've looked it’s been hard to find anyone who’s stepped back to examine the underlying issues. Most reporting seems to have been limited to descriptions of the on-site demonstrations or the Holland government’s awkward political situation with Ayrault, the prime minister, a supporter and Cécile Duflot, the housing minister, opposed. (Duflot was previously head of Europe Écologie Les Verts, the environmental party allied with the Socialists in the last elections and now occupying several posts in the Holland government.) There is, however, a useful article in Le Figaro from the middle of last week with some context that seems to support the opponents’ arguments. The article suggests that the existing Nantes airport may not be as close to capacity as suggested and possible renovation and expansion could extend its utility for some years.
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