The first section of the greenway linking Magnac-Laval to Dorat is open and therefore passable for all public, able-bodied and disabled, residents of northern Haute-Vienne as well as tourists.
It is a project which is finally seeing the light of day, the beginnings dating from… 2017. But above all it is a strong ambition for the community of communes of Haut Limousin en Marche.
“We are keen to develop tourism in this area, which is made up of superb landscapes and a beautiful built heritage. We favor soft tourism with eco-mobility, consistent with our territorial project rather than mass tourism. But this greenway is not only intended for vacationers, it can be used by all residents. Especially since we wanted it to be accessible to people with reduced mobility. It is part of a range of quality tools such as the nature trails which crisscross northern Haute-Vienne,” explains Christian Jacquier, the vice-president in charge of tourism and biodiversity. As such, a biodiversity protection and preservation plan, which began in December 2022, is underway. After the diagnosis and inventory, concrete implementation should begin in 2025.
For Jean-François Perrin, the president of the CCHLeM, the greenway “brings together the players in tourism, sport, development… It is a project which is part of the image of the territory with a natural appeal. This is certainly an achievement, but it is only a first step. At the end of this mandate, she will go to Châteauponsac.”
Works…
Since October 2023, work has been carried out on this first 9.8 km section, going from Espace du Rocher in Magnac-Laval to the Dorat campsite: restoration of works of art dating from the end of the 19th century, removal of old railway sleepers, leveling, cleaning, road repair, sanitation, installation of signage, security, etc.
Satisfaction of mayors
Xavier Guibert, the mayor of Magnac-Laval, recounts with amusement: “In 1905, in the presence of Louis Barthou, the Minister of Transport, Amable Dubrac de Feux, my great-grandfather, inaugurated the greenway in the other sense “. The elected official does not fail to multiply the means, such as the rental of 5 electrically assisted bicycles, to allow Magnachons and especially new arrivals (45 from August 2023 to June 2024) to discover small roads and hikes. For his part, Bruno Schira, the councilor of Dorat, for whom the greenway marks the complementarity between two municipalities different from a topographical and sociological point, would like continuity between the bicycle and the train, this section having to
eventually arrive at the station. He would like a double reflection on mobility to go, for example, to work in Bellac (especially for those who do not have a license or vehicle) and on soft mobility.
Soon a second section
The second section which will include two communities of communes (Haut Limousin en Marche and Gartempe Saint-Pardoux) will go from Luchapt to Droux to the Semme bridge. The latter, currently hidden by vegetation, will be the subject of a third, more specific “stage”. The second project will start in a few days.
The envelope allocated to the first section is 1.2 million euros including tax and €800,000 including tax for the second. In its entirety, the budget dedicated to the greenway is 2.4 million euros including tax, 80% subsidized by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the Department, the State and the European Union.
Anne-Marie Muia
