The mayor of Nice has submitted a new proposal to the Minister of Justice for the future jail. The targeted site is located in the Var plain, on the grounds of the current Nicéa residence. At the same time, Éric Ciotti announces the abandonment of the mega-hospital project carried by Christian Estrosi.
Éric Ciotti handed a letter directly to Gérald Darmanin on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, to revive the file for Nice’s future prison. The mayor proposes a new plot of land located west of the city, in the Var plain, between the A8 motorway and the Mercantour boulevard.
The municipality believes that this land area of 53,000 m² is “particularly suitable” for hosting a new jail. No project has succeeded in over twenty years despite several options studied in Nice and neighboring municipalities.
A site had been validated in 2017 in Saint-Laurent-du-Var before being abandoned after opposition from Joseph Segura and Christian Estrosi. Other options had subsequently been mentioned, particularly in Saint-Roch, Drap or Saint-Isidore.
In his letter to the Minister of Justice, Éric Ciotti emphasizes the saturation condition of the current Nice prison, built in the late 1880s. The occupancy rate of the facility regularly approaches 200%. According to the mayor, “this saturation seriously compromises the working conditions of prison staff, detention conditions and the effective execution of sentences.”
A restructuring planned until 2032
The proposed land corresponds to the site of the Nicéa residence. A former facility that primarily housed former immigrant workers who have lived in Nice for over 50 years.
Éric Ciotti claims that land clearance work has already begun with the gradual relocation of occupants. The timeline for this restructuring is expected to extend until 2032.
Several sites would have been selected to host the residents but without the files being validated. The mayor concludes in his letter: “it is essential that this file can now move forward quickly.”
The mega-hospital project abandoned
This land area had already been considered for several projects. Christian Estrosi had notably announced in 2016 a mosque project with a cultural and community space. The project was subsequently abandoned.
In 2023, the former mayor of Nice also presented a mega-hospital project in the Var plain. The objective was to merge the Archet and Cimiez hospitals, the Antoine-Lacassagne center and the Lenval Foundation in a 125,000 m² facility.
The cost of this operation was estimated between 500 and 600 million euros. Several actors in the hospital sector had expressed reservations about the financing and governance of the project.
The Antoine-Lacassagne Center and the Lenval Foundation had notably stated at the time: “it was with great surprise that the Antoine-Lacassagne Center and the Lenval Foundation learned in the press about the terms of this project, presented as decided and accepted along with its timeline, when its financing remains very uncertain to date.”
Éric Ciotti now announces the abandonment of the file. “I discussed it with the regional director of the ARS, it was unrealistic, there was no financing, while Pasteur 2 is not yet finished”, explained the mayor of Nice to our colleagues at Nice-Matin.
The future Nice prison thus becomes the new priority envisaged on this strategic site in the Var plain.
NicePremium is a free, independent local news outlet.
Help us keep going by supporting our work from €5 per month.
