(Communicated)

“Saint-Charles extension: an “uncomfortable” opacity…
The Perpignan Saint-Charles logistics platform extension project is marred by a serious democratic deficit. The opacity that reigns there can fuel a feeling of unease.
The public inquiry with the aim of carrying out a partial modification of the Local Urbanism Plan (PLU) of Perpignan was launched in haste and on the sly by the Urban Community Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole. As if in this matter urban planning was managed in an emergency. As if the opinion of the inhabitants did not count. No explanation was given on the urgency of the sale of three hectares of land, even if it was possible to deduce that it was for the extension of Saint-Charles.
This haste even prompted the urban community to define the dates of the public inquiry even before the end of the legal deadline allowing Associated Public Persons (PPA) to respond. The first legal announcement was published on October 4, 2022, PPAs could give notice until October 7.
In addition, a particularly grotesque situation when we know that this PLU revision project launched in June 2021 was supposed to be based on a study called the Saint-Charles 2020-2040 program which was not even launched at the time! This Saint-Charles 2020-2040 study was only returned in June 2022! And that it has still not been published or the subject of any public presentation! No doubt an alleged sense of anticipation or even divination?
Another oddity, this project leads to reinforce the conurbation effect in the logic of an increased metropolisation. The SCOT Plaine du Roussillon (Territorial coherence scheme) is supposed to limit this conurbation effect. However, the SCOT Plaine du Roussillon found itself with absent subscribers in this sequence. It is perhaps worth recalling that the President of the SCOT* is also the elected official responsible for managing the modification of the PLU. And even less useless to recall that the SCOT imposes itself on the PLU in the event of opposition of the objectives and the potential consequences…

The Regional Council and the Departmental Council have also given an opinion ” Reserve “which could impact the project with the possible refusal of the Departmental Council to create a roundabout on the RD-900a, the access road provided for trucks.
Definitely, the elected community members have chosen total opacity as a mode of governance. This is the case, for example, of a much larger similar project in Rivesaltes, in the area of Mas de la Garriguefor which no one can say if the land has already been sold, including elected officials.
The mirages of the monoculture of logistics lead to a poorly thought out, poorly put together project, to which is added an opacity of poor quality”.

Francis Daspé, animator of action group La France Insoumise / NUPES
Philippe Poisse, environmental activist NUPES

*Jean-Paul Billes, mayor of Pézilla-la-Rivière, is the president of SCOT Plaine du Roussillon… and of the management of the modification of the PLU within PMM.