Old slag heaps and abandoned railways are gradually being reclaimed by nature. They offer a new, greener landscape, likely to change the image of the mining basin, as well as natural spaces within reach of all residents.
In Pas-de-Calais
In 2010, as part of the master plan known as “Euralens centrality” for the development of the surroundings of the Louvre-Lens, the landscaper Michel Desvigne, project manager and Grand Prix de l’urbanisme 2011, laid the foundations of ” transition from a black Archipelago to a green Archipelago”.
This concept of a green archipelago was then taken up by Michel Desvigne and the elected officials of Pas-de-Calais during field visits, in order to highlight these new nature and leisure spaces which were beginning to sprout, under the name of “Chain of Parks”, currently managed by the Artois Metropolitan Pole.
This approach thus constitutes a total of 11 parks in the Pas-de-Calais mining basin, with a total surface area of 4,200 ha linked by 420 km of greenwayswhich represents a landscape ensemble of unique magnitude in Europe.
In the North
On the North side, the Departmental Council entrusted the Mining Basin Mission in 2021 with the development of a prefiguring study of the Strategic and Partnership Plan for Nature and Recreational Spaces in the Northern Mining Basin.
This dynamic, entitled “plains and valleys of the basin
mining” is managed by the departmental council of the North
co-hosted with the Mining Basin Mission, brings together the EPCIPublic Establishment for Intercommunal Cooperation and local stakeholders (tourist offices, ONFNational Forestry OfficeVNF, PNRSE) and aims to develop soft mobility around 9 sites, to create connections between the different basins, natural spaces and heritage sites, but also to create connections with the Lille Metropolis, the Belgian neighbors and Pas-de-Calais.
Concretely, several hundred kilometers of cycle paths will be developed and will be accompanied in particular by a new network of node points in the mining basin, but also by new signage and a tourist map.
New uses are developing in these interconnected natural spaces. Since 2014, the Mining Basin Mission has organized sporting events such as the “black pyramids trail” or “Gravel’s mine”. The “Escapade 62” site offers walking routes on the slag heaps. Other projects are in preparation to encourage residents to take ownership of these new natural spaces.
Related News :