the essential
The president of the Compagnie de Phalsbourg, Philippe Journo, announces the launch of the Tour Occitanie project for the end of 2025. Very angry with the opponents, he threatens to take legal action in the event of a new appeal.
President and founder of the Compagnie de Phalsbourg, Philippe Journo reaffirms his desire to build the Occitanie Tower. Interview.
What is your reaction to the decision of the Council of State which validates the building permit and puts an end to six years of appeal from opponents?
We are very happy, very focused and very humble about this decision. And very angry with the opponents who, as soon as they lost, announced that they would attack any proposed amending building permit. And I have a personal message to send to them: if they have fun with this, we will take them to court and we will demand full compensation, which will amount to ruining them. Because the repair will cost €40 or €50 million.
Why such a threat?
We won at first instance and then on appeal. The Council of State returned an appeal. We returned. The opponents return to the Council of State and we win again. Throughout this period, we respected great restraint. We have not commented on the court decisions while the opponents have allowed themselves to do so. Today, I protest: barely after losing, they explain that they are going to start their pseudo-fight again. What is this fight? Annoy the people who do it, prevent economic players from investing in our country. These people are traitors to the territory.
Will the project be modified?
We must resume studies to rework the foundations because the work had to be launched before the arrival of the 3rd metro line. There is no need to worry about this but it takes time. The architecture is not concerned: the Tower is sublime. We must also relaunch the 2016 market study and build the project for the 2030s. We will also question Toulouse residents about their expectations: should the hotel be at the bottom or at the top for example… But we need to first rebuild a team because because of the evil actions of the opponents and the Covid, we lost three teams.
Will there be additional costs?
Yes. We presented a project to elected officials (€130 million in 2017, Editor’s note). If today the Tower costs €160 million, I can already estimate my loss at €30 million. If the opponents lift an ear, I will ask them for €30 million straight away.
Does the project remain viable?
We're going to redo the study. But what I know is that Nice (where the Iconic building opened this year near the station, Editor's note) is the only city in France where real estate has increased overall by 2.3% and 15%. in the station area.
Are you confident in marketing?
I have no worries. When you do something exceptional, you always find customers. We have 100% marketed the “retail park” opened in Annecy. In Nice, we rented much more expensively than expected. But we obviously remain humble in view of recent history, Covid and the economic crisis.
When will the work begin?
In the fourth quarter of 2025 with delivery three years later. What I want to say to the people of Toulouse is that we work for the economic interest of the region. Now that justice has decided, we must go.
