In Guipavas, near Brest, the ecocidal and antisocial project for a new
stadium has just been temporarily put on hold by the Rennes
Administrative Court. A look back at this controversial project and the
fight waged by local residents and environmental groups to stop it. ----
Denis and Gérard Le Saint head the second-largest fruit and vegetable
distribution company in France: Le Saint. And like many business owners,
they have also chosen to invest in sports clubs, thus buying themselves
popularity in the region where they have the strongest presence. They
own Brest Bretagne Handball (BBH) and Stade Brestois 29 (SB29).
The stadium that hosts SB29 is the Francis Le Blé Municipal Stadium, a
proud 103-year-old stadium with a capacity of 15,220. This downtown
stadium, neglected by the municipality, is nonetheless emblematic of
grassroots football in Brest. It is served by five bus lines and one
tram line, and is within walking distance for local residents. Despite
its advantages, the club owners and the mayors of the greater Brest area
want a new stadium built in the Froutven area of Guipavas.
The Business of Football
This new stadium, named Arkéa Park, will be located on the outskirts of
Brest, at the end of a tram line, and without a major bus line nearby.
Less accessible, it will also be more difficult for people to afford,
since the number of VIP seats will be doubled while the total number of
seats will remain at 15,000. Finally, this stadium will be accompanied
by an area entirely dedicated to shopping, with the stadium's website
promoting all the businesses located in the area. So, goodbye grassroots
football, hello football business! Furthermore, the land where the
current stadium stands, after its demolition, could be sold to property
developers for luxury apartments, subjecting the working-class
neighborhood to planned gentrification.
The environmental picture is equally bleak. The Froutven area, already
largely paved over by the commercial zone, now has very few green
spaces, and the 18 hectares on which the stadium will be built are a
refuge for animal and plant species, many of which are endangered and
have been granted an exemption by the Prefect of Finistère to the ban on
their destruction.
The activities of a farmer located on part of the site will also be
disrupted. The demolition of Maner Coz ("old manor" in Breton), a group
of old buildings in the heart of the area, has already begun.
Associations opposing the construction have also raised concerns about
the potential impacts of this development on the Costour, a neighboring
valley encompassing several lakes and streams. At a time of water
scarcity and climate change, the fears of drying up and pollution hang
like a sword of Damocles over this natural haven.
The Shame of Public Funding
But the reasons for anger don't end there, as public money will be
injected into the construction of a private stadium. Those in favor of
the project speak of 30 million euros of public funds. This amount does
not include the various indirect costs foreseeable for the community,
such as the 15 million euros for landscaping, 600,000 euros for land
acquisition for environmental compensation, or the cost of demolishing
the Francis Le Blé stadium. France Unbowed estimates the actual amount
of public funding at EUR71 million[1], while the renovation of the
Francis Le Blé stadium is estimated at between EUR50 and EUR60 million
for a stadium that would therefore remain publicly owned.
Why renovate a stadium when you can build a brand new one by showering
developers with public money?
Wikimedia/El Funcionario
The total cost of the new stadium is currently estimated at EUR106.5
million. This estimate dates from March 2023 and has not been revised
since. This suggests significant cost overruns, which will be largely
borne by the community, as the Le Saint brothers have already announced.
One has to wonder why the Brest city council, controlled by the
Socialist Party for 24 years, persists in prioritizing the interests of
major local business leaders when it will be so expensive.
In reality, a plan to develop the Froutven area already existed in
François Cuillandre's campaign promises during his second term in 2008.
At the time, it was envisioned as a Zenith concert hall, which was
abandoned in favor of the Brest Arena, a concert and sports venue used
notably by... Brest Bretagne Handball (BBH), later acquired by the Le
Saint brothers.
Protests and the First Victory
The protests gradually became more organized, with the grouping of local
residents, individual activists, and associations. Extinction Rebellion,
in particular, disrupted a public presentation of the project by
storming the stage where the mayor of Brest was standing. He ultimately
continued his presentation with activists behind him, holding signs
denouncing the project.
Following this, in January 2023, the collective against the new stadium
was formed. The group carried out several actions, such as planting
trees, organizing a grassroots football tournament with a radio
broadcast recording, distributing leaflets, and holding public meetings.
The first consequence was the return of the farmer, who had been evicted
from the land. The second was the media counter-attack led by Le
Télégramme, a widely read newspaper in Brest, which featured all the
talking points of the Le Saint brothers.
Last July, a ZAD (Zone to Defend), the Maner CoZAD, was established to
try to block the construction, the first tree felling of which was
expected in September. It only lasted a weekend, but it had the
advantage of forcing local political groups to take a stand and
reigniting the debate. Finally, on October 22, the judge of the summary
proceedings at the Rennes Administrative Court suspended the prefectural
order authorizing the destruction of protected species, temporarily
halting the demolition work that had begun earlier. The court ruled that
there was no overriding reason of major public interest.
Whatever happens next, the fight must continue to prevent yet another
pointless project from going ahead. We must build a broad popular
mobilization against the private interests of local millionaires and for
grassroots football!
T. (UCL Finistère) and G. (supporter, Finistère)
Submit
[1]See "A stadium in the middle of a field, the white elephant of the Le
Saint brothers," Brestinsoumise.fr.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Football-Carton-rouge-contre-le-foot-des-milliardaires
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
stadium has just been temporarily put on hold by the Rennes
Administrative Court. A look back at this controversial project and the
fight waged by local residents and environmental groups to stop it. ----
Denis and Gérard Le Saint head the second-largest fruit and vegetable
distribution company in France: Le Saint. And like many business owners,
they have also chosen to invest in sports clubs, thus buying themselves
popularity in the region where they have the strongest presence. They
own Brest Bretagne Handball (BBH) and Stade Brestois 29 (SB29).
The stadium that hosts SB29 is the Francis Le Blé Municipal Stadium, a
proud 103-year-old stadium with a capacity of 15,220. This downtown
stadium, neglected by the municipality, is nonetheless emblematic of
grassroots football in Brest. It is served by five bus lines and one
tram line, and is within walking distance for local residents. Despite
its advantages, the club owners and the mayors of the greater Brest area
want a new stadium built in the Froutven area of Guipavas.
The Business of Football
This new stadium, named Arkéa Park, will be located on the outskirts of
Brest, at the end of a tram line, and without a major bus line nearby.
Less accessible, it will also be more difficult for people to afford,
since the number of VIP seats will be doubled while the total number of
seats will remain at 15,000. Finally, this stadium will be accompanied
by an area entirely dedicated to shopping, with the stadium's website
promoting all the businesses located in the area. So, goodbye grassroots
football, hello football business! Furthermore, the land where the
current stadium stands, after its demolition, could be sold to property
developers for luxury apartments, subjecting the working-class
neighborhood to planned gentrification.
The environmental picture is equally bleak. The Froutven area, already
largely paved over by the commercial zone, now has very few green
spaces, and the 18 hectares on which the stadium will be built are a
refuge for animal and plant species, many of which are endangered and
have been granted an exemption by the Prefect of Finistère to the ban on
their destruction.
The activities of a farmer located on part of the site will also be
disrupted. The demolition of Maner Coz ("old manor" in Breton), a group
of old buildings in the heart of the area, has already begun.
Associations opposing the construction have also raised concerns about
the potential impacts of this development on the Costour, a neighboring
valley encompassing several lakes and streams. At a time of water
scarcity and climate change, the fears of drying up and pollution hang
like a sword of Damocles over this natural haven.
The Shame of Public Funding
But the reasons for anger don't end there, as public money will be
injected into the construction of a private stadium. Those in favor of
the project speak of 30 million euros of public funds. This amount does
not include the various indirect costs foreseeable for the community,
such as the 15 million euros for landscaping, 600,000 euros for land
acquisition for environmental compensation, or the cost of demolishing
the Francis Le Blé stadium. France Unbowed estimates the actual amount
of public funding at EUR71 million[1], while the renovation of the
Francis Le Blé stadium is estimated at between EUR50 and EUR60 million
for a stadium that would therefore remain publicly owned.
Why renovate a stadium when you can build a brand new one by showering
developers with public money?
Wikimedia/El Funcionario
The total cost of the new stadium is currently estimated at EUR106.5
million. This estimate dates from March 2023 and has not been revised
since. This suggests significant cost overruns, which will be largely
borne by the community, as the Le Saint brothers have already announced.
One has to wonder why the Brest city council, controlled by the
Socialist Party for 24 years, persists in prioritizing the interests of
major local business leaders when it will be so expensive.
In reality, a plan to develop the Froutven area already existed in
François Cuillandre's campaign promises during his second term in 2008.
At the time, it was envisioned as a Zenith concert hall, which was
abandoned in favor of the Brest Arena, a concert and sports venue used
notably by... Brest Bretagne Handball (BBH), later acquired by the Le
Saint brothers.
Protests and the First Victory
The protests gradually became more organized, with the grouping of local
residents, individual activists, and associations. Extinction Rebellion,
in particular, disrupted a public presentation of the project by
storming the stage where the mayor of Brest was standing. He ultimately
continued his presentation with activists behind him, holding signs
denouncing the project.
Following this, in January 2023, the collective against the new stadium
was formed. The group carried out several actions, such as planting
trees, organizing a grassroots football tournament with a radio
broadcast recording, distributing leaflets, and holding public meetings.
The first consequence was the return of the farmer, who had been evicted
from the land. The second was the media counter-attack led by Le
Télégramme, a widely read newspaper in Brest, which featured all the
talking points of the Le Saint brothers.
Last July, a ZAD (Zone to Defend), the Maner CoZAD, was established to
try to block the construction, the first tree felling of which was
expected in September. It only lasted a weekend, but it had the
advantage of forcing local political groups to take a stand and
reigniting the debate. Finally, on October 22, the judge of the summary
proceedings at the Rennes Administrative Court suspended the prefectural
order authorizing the destruction of protected species, temporarily
halting the demolition work that had begun earlier. The court ruled that
there was no overriding reason of major public interest.
Whatever happens next, the fight must continue to prevent yet another
pointless project from going ahead. We must build a broad popular
mobilization against the private interests of local millionaires and for
grassroots football!
T. (UCL Finistère) and G. (supporter, Finistère)
Submit
[1]See "A stadium in the middle of a field, the white elephant of the Le
Saint brothers," Brestinsoumise.fr.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Football-Carton-rouge-contre-le-foot-des-milliardaires
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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