Will large companies in Cotentin have to put their hands in their pockets?

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And if the famous order givers of North Cotentin (Manche) were also “doers” regarding housing ?

This is in essence the question asked during the last municipal council of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin by Ralph Lejamtel, deputy in charge of town planning.

“What about the strategies of clients today in terms of housing, particularly in relation to their own heritage? From the Housing Conference, we are asking for their involvement because they must concede that we cannot do everything. They cannot only be in a utilitarian relationship. In return, we can also ask them what they do with their heritage and their investments . »

There are balances to be found, particularly with regard to the billions of euros of investments made by the State.

To this question, which came on the sidelines of an exchange on the difficulties of the new Jardins de l'Agora district, Mayor Benoît Arrivé continued: “We are preparing a working groupbefore the end of the year with the state the prefectand the sub-prefect Manuel Mahier [maire de La Hague, NDLR]David Margueritte [président de la Communauté d’Agglomération du Cotentin, NDLR] to prepare the deployment of activities Oran (1). We could add Naval Groupor the Mechanical Constructions of Normandy basically everything that is doing well and needs housing. The State has already been reminded that communities won't be able to do everything on their own. But we also need industrialists are interested in this question, as, without being paternalistic, they did in the past. CMN, EDF, Naval Group and even SNCF owned part of their employees' housing. There are balances to be found, particularly with regard to the billions of euros of investments made by the State. »

What participation in the “war effort”?

The question is real. The future major Orano construction site in La Hague should, in fact, attract several thousand new workers if we refer to previous major projects of the 1980s (2). How the nuclear giant can he participate in “the war effort” in terms of housing? For the moment, he has decided to procrastinate.

We recently participated in the Housing Conference and, although it is too early to put forward a precise forecast volume of jobs to date within the framework of our projects, as soon as we are able to have consolidated data, we We will work with all stakeholders in the region. Furthermore, an urban planning and development agency is being created for the beginning of 2025, Orano will be present.

On the side of Naval Group, which announces numerous recruitmentsin the short term – between 200 and 250 recruitments per year by 2028 – we are aware of the challenge but we are missing the point, as its CEO Pierre Éric Pommellet told us during the recent Euronaval trade fair: “I do not Don't think we're here to build housing, that's not our job. Our core business is first and foremost to go win contracts in France et internationally, but also to realize sovereign defense systems for our country. On the other hand, we are a real player in the ecosystem which plays its part in the life of the city. Our role is therefore rather to provide continuity, jobs who will be there for a long time and people who will consume. »

I don't think we're here to build housing, that's not our job.

While it is experiencing full employment and should continue its momentum with no less than 25,000 jobs to be filled by 2030, the Cotentinwill indeed have to manage this housing crisis and the resulting pressure on land. In a great collective spirit? Not really a choice…

Ludivine LANIEPCE and Chrismaël MARCHAND

(1): construction of a new Mox fuel manufacturing plant, a new spent fuel processing plant and a fuel unloading and storage workshop. (2): construction of the UP2 800 plant and UP3.

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