On the occasion of the launch on the territory of the Commune of NICE of a Public Consultation regarding the project to create the Notre Dame car park, many local residents and shopkeepers are pleased that something is finally happening! But they know that nothing is ever certain.
Already in April 1994…
Looking through the archives, it is recalled that already in April 1994, this project had been launched (one year before the 1995 municipal elections…). The municipality at the time promised not only the reconstruction of the former Notre Dame school for the spring of 1998, but also the opening to the public of a new underground parking planned for December 1997!! These dates were not, as one can read, established by chance! “But it was supposed to allow the temporary and smooth relocation of students to the Auber and Nice-Etoile schools – under construction at the time.” It would then be time to start the parking and new school works. Since then, the Notre Dame school has indeed been demolished, but the students have remained at Auber and Nice-Etoile, the latter two schools being sufficient to meet the needs of the neighborhood. As for the underground parking, it is still in project and would be built in 3 years, if all goes well… That is indeed the stated goal of this public consultation (One year before the 2008 municipal elections…) To relaunch a project that has stagnated for at least 13 years.
However, since the loss of the school, nothing particularly positive seems to have happened in this square. On the contrary, a certain decline has been noted: disinterest from many politicians, dirt on every corner of the streets, a fairly anarchic surface parking. In this square, people pass through more than they stroll.
But not everything is bleak: in recent years new stores like Subway, the latest on rue de Suisse, have settled. But also the Malongo café on the same street, Alifax-Sony on rue d’Italie. The FNAC has invested in the Riviera 100 meters from the future Parking, and the square benefits slightly from the Tramway effect on the north of avenue Jean Médecin. That is why after many complaints from residents and shopkeepers, the latter still view this consultation positively as it should help revive the appeal of the square. And then at a time when the lack of parking spaces in the city center is being pointed out, who will complain if we relaunch the project?
Public consultation: How it works
What is the status then? From Monday, September 17th until Wednesday, October 17th, 2007, a Public Consultation will be held in application of Article L. 300-2 of the Urban Planning Code regarding the project to create the Notre Dame car park. Registers and plans are available for consultation at the Forum of Urbanism and Architecture, Maison des Projets, place Pierre Gauthier: you can submit your observations in writing on site.
All observations can also be addressed in writing to the Mayor during the consultation period; they will then be attached to the registers.
But what exactly is being asked of the Niçois? The official stakes of the consultation are twofold:
- Define the entrance and exit of the future parking
- Solution 1: Entrance on rue d’Italie and exit on rue de Suisse
- Solution 2: Entrance and exit on rue de Suisse
- Choose the layout of the square on the parking
- Solution 1: Tree-lined square
- Solution 2: Mineral square
An important public meeting will be organized on Thursday, October 11, 2007, at 6 p.m. at the Trimages Theater, 17 rue Alsace Lorraine. We can bet that besides the inhabitants, many official and unofficial candidates for the mayor of Nice will also make the trip…
On this occasion, some will want to address other demands and provide complementary ideas to the project:
- A quota of spaces reserved for residents
- The idea of doing more than a garden on the surface to animate the area and revitalize it (for example, a secured playground opposite the “l’ile aux enfants” nursery)
- Allow regulated terraces for cafés on rue de Suisse
- Pedestrianization of part of rue de Suisse beside the Notre Dame church
- Respect for the environment through proper exhaust gas disposal
The A.D.R.I. (neighborhood association) even invites the Niçois to share ideas on the neighborhood blog: https://blog.nice-hypercentre.org
All Niçois are therefore invited to take a stand, as this parking will greatly benefit the shopkeepers on avenue Notre Dame, as well as the 2, 3, and 4-star hotels and the many restaurants in the Gare district.
Especially those who really want to be heard should not forget to go in person to place Gauthier or write to the Mayor. This is the official channel for grievances and after October 17, it will be too late.
One might regret once again in the 21st Century and in the age of the internet, that no opinion is collected via a special page on the official website of the city of Nice. The agglomeration has done much better in this regard for the consultation of the Tramway line 2.
