Hervé Chevreau, the various right-wing mayor of Épinay-sur-Seine (Seine-Saint-Denis), says it bluntly, he has no “state of mind for a tree”. The tree in question is a sophora from Japan. It was demolished to create a delivery plaza in front of a shopping center.
The space can be used by trucks bringing goods to the new Action store, reports The Parisian Friday November 8, 2024. “Between the tree, the employees, the shopping center”the decision was simple to make, replied the city councilor when questioned on this subject during the Municipal Council in June 2024.
For the opposition group, Génération Écologie, this decision was taken in order “to obey the constraints imposed by the Action hard-discount store chain”relate Paris News .
Read also : Planting trees in the city: strong demand and “everyone wants the same thing”
A fine of €25,000
This felling, however, has financial consequences for the municipality. She will have to pay a fine of around €25,000.
The reason? This sophora from Japan was removed from public space without requesting authorization from the services of the Plaine Commune community of communes. The mayor did not make a prior declaration to the prefecture either, although this street tree is protected by the Environmental Code.
Tree plan 2030
The 2030 Tree Plan was adopted in September 2023 by the community of Plaine Commune, which includes Épinay-sur-Seine. Its objective is to preserve and increase the existing plant and tree capital, with a target of 20,000 additional trees in seven years, details Paris News . To constrain the nine signatory municipalities, the system gives a financial value to the tree in the public domain, to protect it. To calculate the amount of compensation of €25,000, the species, the health state of the plant, its size but also its ecological value were taken into account, details the Ile-de-France daily.
Épinay-sur-Seine, however, refused the sanction. “The city will certainly not pay a fine in relation to this slaughter”said Eugénie Ponthier, deputy mayor responsible for urban ecology. “As compensation, we will create a demineralized space on the Auchan square and plant three treesannounced the elected official. Besides that, for the 60th anniversary of the twinning with Oberursel, in Germany, we will plant 60 trees spread throughout the city, in the dynamic of the plan. »
