despite the “concern” of certain elected officials, the project was completed

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It is a “unanimously validated” project, but which still sparks so much debate. This Thursday, November 21, the question of the work that must be carried out in the gardens of Notre-Dame after the reopening of the cathedral, scheduled for December 7, came up again during the debates at the Council of Paris.

At the time of its presentation in 2022, Bas Smets, the Belgian company in charge of redeveloping the square and the garden, planned to remove the grids that unite the Jean-XXIII and Île-de-France gardens with the aim of making the lawns of the two squares accessible. An idea which had been strongly criticized, since a petition with 60,000 signatures had seen the light of day.

The memorial to the martyrs of the deportation, a source of debate

Two years later, this project has been redesigned. But for Maud Gatel, president of MoDem elected officials at the Paris Council, “concerns remain”. “The Île-de-France square houses the memorial to the martyrs of the deportation. It's not a square like any other. From one point of view, we understand the idea of ​​clearing out the belvedere further. However, we are concerned that the fence passes above the crypt and therefore above the memorial site. We hope that the design of this square will not change to preserve the intimacy of this place and its memorial dimension,” she explained.

Attacks which caused “a touch of exasperation” among Christophe Najdovdski, deputy mayor in charge of the greening of public spaces.

This project was validated unanimously and in its entirety by the national architectural heritage commission, Ministry of the Armed Forces, but by the diocese and architect of buildings of France.

The project soon presented at a public meeting

Ariel Weil, mayor (PS) of Paris-Centre, explains that after having undergone “adjustments”, the project now benefits from a “very broad consensus”. In detail, “Square Jean-XXIII will regain its 1848 design and the gates will be preserved”.

Finally, the lawn of the square de l’Île-de-France “will be well closed”confirmed Christophe Najdovdski.

After “the submission of the planning permit”, Ariel Weil announces that the final project must be presented this Wednesday, November 27 during a public meeting open to all. The work must be completed by 2030.

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