The long and painful birth in the Marenda-Lacan district, in the heart of Antibes, ultimately did not prevent elected officials from seeing a beautiful baby there. A baby which, if we leave aside the deficit of several tens of thousands of euros of the local public company (SPL) – which the City intends to dissolve soon –, would have brought in more money than it consumed !
welcomed the mayor, Jean Leonetti, at the municipal council this Thursday. The proof with these figures: 28 million in revenue provided by land transfers, for 23.5 million in expenditure on public facilities, participation in the Economic Activity Zone (ZAC), etc. Or 4.5 million euros in the pockets of the municipality. Not to mention the compensation (still under negotiation) claimed for the delays accumulated by the developer BNP Paribas Immobilier.
A well-deserved false start that the councilor hopes to see in a bright future, despite the timid beginnings of the ZAC with the general public: “It's normal that commercial activity is emerging. There are new streets, which Antibes people have to get used to. But I think it will work well.”
Almost all exemplary ports
An optimism that the chief magistrate maintained throughout the 2023 activity report of the ports of Antibes.
Vauban, Gallice, Salis, Olivette and Crouton are in good financial health with 38.5 million euros in cumulative turnover, with the exception of the last, weakened by a negative figure “because of reduced operations linked to “to work in progress”, justified the deputy delegate for ports, Nathalie Grilli.
Once again, the City's coffers were able to breathe thanks to the 15.3 million euros in fees collected, more than three-quarters of which were paid by the bay of billionaires. Not enough to impress Michèle Muratore, from the opposition group The Solidarity, Ecological and Democratic Left, who made a certain number of “remarks”. Noting firstly the still incomplete annual financial contribution from the Vauban port; the lack of information, according to the elected official, about the refit activity of small boats, as well as the price of the rostral columns now built; the “numerous” incidents during ship refueling; and the very controversial anti-plastic nets that the municipal councilor would like to see extended beyond the port, among others. A list that the councilor tried to clarify point by point, especially retaining “the positive”.
Parking and free parking, a self-satisfaction that irritates
The assessment also came for parking in Antibes. Here again, the balance turns out to be positive for 2023: 1.93 million euros in expenses for 1.98 million in revenue. “This money is for the benefit of free parking,” the councilor insisted, citing the advantages offered by the municipality, such as the first hour free on public roads and parking lots, or even the rates considered lower than in the other municipalities of the Alpes-Maritimes.
Are the administrators satisfied with it? Yes, according to the 3,000 returns collected on the questionnaire launched by the municipality: 89% support the pricing policy implemented on the roads, 90% are in favor of the two free hours offered in the car parks, and 85% support the 48 hours free at the Fort Carré car park. The only downside is that only 57% want a specific rate “which would allow prolonged parking in this car park”.
“It’s a hassle for every trip to Antibes. This is the truth »
In practice, is this true? On social networks, despite some positive comments, the criticism is harsh. “There are not enough car parks, the one at Pré-aux-pêcheurs is overpriced. We have fewer and fewer parking spaces on the street, it's a hassle for every trip to Antibes. This is the truth,” says an Internet user. “Already commission your municipal police to clean up buffer vehicles that do not pay for their parking,” says another. The opposition The united, ecological and democratic left, for its part, deplores a lack of open questions “to propose ideas”, and castigates the delegatee – QPark – for not sufficiently maintaining its spaces. For Jean Leonetti, who did not wish to scratch this record, pleading for a diversity of offers and better visibility of prices is the strategy to follow.
