how the only dark kitchen in Boulogne-Billancourt is ruining the lives of residents

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Around ten delivery men on scooters gather in front of the one and only dark kitchen in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), located at 253 boulevard Jean-Jaurès, this Thursday, December 19, 2024. Despite the cold and the hailstones as big as marbles that fall from the sky, they pace back and forth between the sidewalk and the kitchens, waiting for a notification on their phonesynonymous with order. But this almost uninterrupted passage, which causes noise pollution and incivility, has pushed neighboring residents to launch a petition against this “ghost kitchen”.

“A delivery man spat in front of my feet”

At the origin of the petition, Audrey C., a resident of the building next door for over 3 years. “I want to be clear, I am not asking for the dark kitchen to be closed, only that the manager respect the rules “, she says. And for good reason, since moving in with her family, she has never stopped notice a deterioration of the situation. “This part of the street has become dirty between cigarette butts and coffee cups which litter the ground,” complains the thirty-year-old.

But the dirt on the sidewalk is not the only reason given by Boulonnaise. The noise of the motors of the scooters gathered in front of the dark kitchen “until late in the evening” as well as the “incivility of the delivery men” also got the better of his approach. But the real trigger? “One evening, I came home and a delivery man spat in front of my feet,” she laments.

Cockroaches in buildings

Besides the “strong smell of grease” which invade the apartments “from morning to evening”, according to Audrey C., local residents notice that the waste is poorly managedthrough the dark kitchen. So much so that some residents of the ground floor and 1st floor find themselves with cockroaches at home “whereas before, there was none”. For his part, the manager of the premises has undertaken to “better manage his waste” and “take out the trash on good days”. “Since the launch of the petition – at the beginning of December – I have noticed a slight improvement», however admits Audrey C.

There still remains the thorny question of delivery men who cause “significant noise pollution at night” and between whom “fights have already broken out”which gives rise to “regular altercations with local residents who can’t take it anymore”, describes the instigator of the petition. For its part, management cannot legally nothing against them thus plunging the inhabitants into a dead end.

“It’s Boulogne, not the Bronx”

With this petition, which brought together nearly 200 signatoriesAudrey C. hopes to get closer to the city to find a solution, being aware of the weak powers available to the town hall. “I would like to speak with the mayor so that he helps usto get out of this situation,” she sighs. A bottle thrown into the sea, even if it has little hope. “I support his action to the city and the Boulonnaisthat’s why I would like him to meet us,” she explains.

Aware of this problem, however very localizedthe mayor of the town, Pierre-Christophe Baguet (LR ), tempers withParis news : “It’s Boulogne, not the Bronx” . Especially since the councilor has a very strict policy regarding dark kitchens. “I closed them all,” he recalls, “only this one remains.”

But the problem is that the municipality does not have no legal power allowing the closure of this place. And for good reason, the co-ownership of the building concerned – difficult to contact – allowed foot exploitation of their building, and by virtue of the freedom of trade, the kitchens could be installed there. “The mayor has very little police power,” regrets Pierre-Christophe Baguet. Its only means of pressure: the multiplication of hygiene checksand noise.

Residents ready to leave their homes?

Status quo for the moment, but Audrey C. still hope a change. Residing on the 8th floor of her building, the Boulonnaise is less bothered by olfactory and noise pollution than some of her neighbors on the lower floors . “Some are even thinking about leaving,” she confides.

More ut on the boulevard, at the intersection of Place Marcel-Sembat, the sign rotisserie specialist takeaway, Master Poulet, opened its doors last month. On the border between fast food and dark kitchen, the managers have made an agreementwith the town hall to deploy their concept. The condition? The restaurant undertakes not to be present on the delivery platformsat home in order to avoid noise pollution caused by scooter delivery people.

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