After the summer break, with new family commitments and participation in the large gathering of “his” friends, Christian Estrosi continues with initiatives and inaugurations.
Moreover, there are plenty of issues to tackle, and the political context is in full swing.
And everything is connected. The proof…
The project for the new MIN*, one of the largest in France, involving its relocation from the current site to La Baronne and its reconstruction with more modern logistics within the framework of the ‘Operation of National Interest in the Var Plain,’ is blocked by the Departmental Council and has been delayed by 2 years, as denounced by the Mayor of Nice and President of the Metropolis.
The reason(s)? Apparently none, according to his explanation.
Unless you read between the lines…
In fact, the Departmental Council, which is part of the EPA responsible for the OIN and therefore approved this project, is behind two obstacles: the construction of the new CREAT Research Center, which would free up the land at La Baronne, and the transfer of land at La Gaude to the EPA.
Without these two levers, there is no possibility of transferring the MIN; without the MIN transfer, there can be no launch of the PPP for the realization of the Exhibition Park on the freed MIN site; without the realization of the Exhibition Park, there can be no Grand Arénas*; without the Grand Arénas, the new intermodal station would remain insufficient, the airport (which has seen passengers increase from 8 to 12 million per year in a few years) would lack an ecosystem to develop its international attractiveness, and so on.
In the end, everything is connected, as previously mentioned.
So, why these obstacles, apparently without reason?
The worm may be in the fruit: recent information reported by the local gazette suggests a supposed project for a new shopping center as a complement to the Exhibition Park. A project to which, if real, the future former President of the Departmental Council, Eric Ciotti, would strongly oppose in the name of the sacred interest of small businesses.
Faced with this supposed interpretation of events (conditional is a must), Christian Estrosi defended himself, proclaiming his astonishment and innocence:
there was never any question of such a project, the businesses planned at the Baronne MIN, at the future Exhibition Park, at the Grand Arénas will only be those necessary for the service of professional activities and the resident population.
“No more, no less than usual,” said the Mayor of Nice, who claims for himself, as “the mayor of proximity,” the role of defender of small businesses and rejects the accusation of having amplified the impact of large retailers.
And besides, isn’t it the Prefect who presides over this Commercial Activity Development Committee (CDAC) and is the guarantor of territorial balance?
“I prefer his truth to that of others,” Christian Estrosi questions himself and others, with a feigned innocence typical of someone who already knows the answer.
What follows*: “regarding the Grand Arénas, I subscribe to your intention not to establish a shopping center like large stores […]”, “[…] a scheme of around 10,000 m2 of retail space seems reasonable and seems to meet a just need.”
Exonerated from the suspicion of complicity with real estate developers and large chains, restored in his role as defender of small businesses, the “mayor of proximity” feels legitimate in asking why the Departmental Council is blocking the progress of the operational plans of the Var Plain Operation when it is part of the project.
As a savvy politician, he prefers to raise the issue rather than accuse and name names: “since the blockage was based on an untruth and the truth has been restored, it is absolutely necessary to unblock this file to avoid losing the associated funding and not harm the economic development of our territory.”
For those with ears, let them hear…
In any case, he has the support of the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes*: “regarding the MIN, I will contact the President of the Departmental Council to remind him of the importance I attach to this crucial operation for the development of the metropolis.”
The letter is dated September 13. This morning, a new President of the Departmental Council will be elected. Does this explain that?
A basic rule of geometry explains that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Obviously, this is not the case in politics… especially when rivalries surface everywhere.
And the general interest (which everyone loudly proclaims) in all this?
