Romanel: the Cantonal Court slows down the ambitions of the Orllati group

Housing for seniors has no place on the Raffort industrial site, in Romanel-sur-Lausanne. So decided the Cantonal Court. He gave reason in the cantonopposed to the permit issued by the Municipality to build a complex of four buildings including industrial and artisanal activities, a medical center, a medical office as well as 73 senior housing units, on the former Bière du Boxer site.

This is not the first time that the Canton has slowed down the ambitions of the Orllati group in this industrial sector identified as a strategic activity development site (SSDA), of cantonal importance. Before the Court of Administrative and Public Law (CDAP), the promoter and owner clashed with the Department of Institutions, Territory and Sport (DITS).

The DITS criticizes the Municipality for having authorized a complex providing services that do not comply with the use of the industrial zone. This would contravene the objectives set in the cantonal master planning and would not take sufficient account of the cantonal interest in having sufficient land and real estate supply for companies in the primary and secondary sectors.

A strategic area

In its appeal, the DITS deplores the scarcity of surface areas useful for artisanal and industrial activities. He specifies that the Canton of Vaud is currently developing the Vernand cantonal allocation plan (PAC) aimed at prioritizing development potential for artisanal and industrial activities in a context where industrial zones tend to become tertiarized.

For their part, the Municipality and the construction company explain in substance that the disputed project is consistent with the use of the industrial zone of Romanel-sur-Lausanne. They take advantage of the particular freedom of appreciation enjoyed by the municipal authority in the interpretation of its regulations. According to them, this provision allows services to be provided in industrial zones. They also note that the sector already hosts several companies whose activities are not linked to crafts or industry. The CDAP nevertheless proved them wrong.

Four years ago, a first building permit request from the Orllati group was unsuccessful. It was then the General Directorate of Mobility and Roads (DGMR) which refused to issue the required special authorization, due to insufficient connection to the road network.

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Claude Béda is a journalist for the 24-hour Vaudois section. Passionate about social issues and the lives of people here, he covered several regions of the canton, before joining the Lausanne editorial team. More info

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