By Antoine Trefcon
Published on
7 May 24 at 12:10
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“Attached to democracy”, it was “with a heavy heart” that Thomas Hermand, mayor of Serqueux (Seine-Maritime), armed himself with his pen to write “a formal letter » to its administrators. The subject of this letter: the demolition of the church which will ultimately not take place contrary to the decision taken by referendum by the inhabitants.
The church of Serqueux saved from demolition
Clearly, the Saint-Martin de Serqueux church has not finished spilling ink. Banned to the public since 2015 “for security reasons”, the future of the building, which is a bit of a thorn in the side of successive municipal teams, will have experienced many potential outcomes.
The latest being that of the demolition in accordance with the wishes of the population expressed by referendum by 221 votes to 32. It was one of the commitments by Thomas Hermand.
But once the destruction of the place of worship had been ratified by the municipal council at the end of November 2022, as the mayor recalls in his official letter, a new actor came into play; questioning the outcome favored by citizens.
A building labeled “Remarkable Contemporary Architecture”
“We received a letter from the DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs. Editor’s note) informing us that the church had a label (Remarkable Contemporary Architecture), established in 2001,” announced Thomas Hermand during the June 2023 council meeting. ranking which would have been right in the unanimous democratic decision as the elected official said in his letter dated April 22, 2024.
“We still needed approval from the prefecture. Approval that we have not had to date, and that we will not receive,” he wrote.
Indeed, according to state services, during an interview on February 8, it is appropriate to preserve this building.
A conservation of the religious building which is no longer really one since in February 2023, the municipality received the decree of execration following a “fruitful interview” with the archbishop, recalls the elected official.
The church is therefore no longer a church for the diocese.
So what fate will be reserved for the church?
“The region, the DRAC, the observatory of cultural buildings, and the heritage foundation proposed a project to us,” announces the mayor.
Project which would consist of the conservation of the building and its renovation.
Solution that the elected official feared, as he told us in June 2023: “If we have a blockage, we will not be able to respect our word to the residents. This further removes credibility from public speech.”
But let the Sarcophagians rest assured, this renovation will not cost the community anything.
The renovation of the building will have no budgetary impact for the municipality. In fact, it would be supported by the State and the project leaders.
On the other hand, the fate ultimately reserved for the cultural building, not being that expected, comes threaten another project : that of expanding the adjacent medical office which is currently located in the old presbytery. In fact, the municipal council had considered extending it onto the land left vacant after the demolition of the church following a request from the medical team to expand the premises.
What will happen to the medical office?
In his “official letter” addressed to the population dated April 22, Thomas Hermand announced that the renovation of the Saint-Martin church would be “coupled with the creation of a medical center in another location”.
Indeed, the current medical office is located in the old presbytery adjacent to the church. However, Thomas Hermand informs us that “to carry out the renovation project of the building carried out by the observatory of cultural buildings, the region and the heritage foundation, they need the old presbytery”.
Currently housing “four doctors, four nurses, an Asalée nurse and perhaps soon a specialist”, the mayor is considering “transferring the medical office to the former SNCF wheelers’ home by transforming it into a health and social home” . A project still under consideration, especially since the municipality is “in discussions with SNCF Immobilier for the acquisition of the building” with a surface area of approximately 300m2, specifies the elected official; adding that “doctors are in favor” of this idea. Especially since according to the mayor’s words, they approached him a few months ago to “organize a real estate project” around “a second extension of the medical office”.
A fallback solution that would suit all stakeholders; however remaining the responsibility of the community. But for its chief magistrate, this “will be beneficial in the sense of seeking to perpetuate or even increase medical services and the attractiveness of the municipality”, he writes in his letter.
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