At the end of December, the Marseille administrative court of appeal ruled in favor of the opponents of the photovoltaic project and canceled the permit to clear 12.7 hectares in Ongles, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. A decision welcomed by the Association of Friends of the Montagne de Lure. The latter fights against attacks on biodiversity and for the preservation of landscapes.
A victory for the environment. In the Lure mountain area, a legal battle that has been going on for several years has just ended. On December 31, the Marseille administrative court of appeal canceled the land clearing permit issued by the prefect in 2020 to the company Engie Green for a photovoltaic project on the Seygne woods, in Ongles, in the Alpes-de-Haute -Provence. “Another victory on our record! » rejoices the association Les Amis de la Montagne de Lure on social networks.
Cancellation of the photovoltaic project in Ongles
In its decision, the Marseille administrative court then explained its decision by detailing the environmental impacts of the project. She noted that this would affect “at least 0.9 hectares of the wetland […] the stakes of which are assessed as strong in the impact study”. The compensatory measures, considered insufficient, also weighed in the decision: “The preservation and protection of the biodiversity reservoir […] as well as ecological continuities” were not guaranteed by the project, as the court considered.
-A decision awaited at the turning point, since the court followed the conclusions of the public rapporteur, who had recommended the cancellation after a visit to the site on December 5, 2024. This trip allowed us to see the environmental issues on the ground, in particular the importance of wetlands and the richness of forest ecosystems.
For its part, the association Les Amis de la Montagne de Lure, mobilized from the start against the project, welcomed this decision as a new step in the protection of the region. In its press release, it declared: “This is who, after the victory against Boralex [un autre projet annulé à Cruis en 2024]reinforces Amilure in its position as the title slayer of the industrial attackers of Lure. Let us tell ourselves, and think twice before attacking our forests, our cultures and our landscapes. »
For the association, the fight continues, because a possible appeal to the Council of State remains possible. Engie Green, like the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, then has two months to contest the decision. However, the association recalls that in the case of the Boralex project, the attempted annulment has not been deemed admissible to date.
