near Nantes, the nightmare of the multipurpose room costing more than 2 million euros… which was never used

On this November morning, the silhouette of the building emerges from the fog. Away from the center of the small town of La Remaudière, near the stadium, the multipurpose room is plunged into deafening silence. The ambient grayness and the biting cold amplify the ghostly appearance of the completely abandoned site. Here, in the heart of the Nantes vineyards, is one of the most spectacular examples of waste of public money: a facility built by the municipality for more than two million euros, between 2012 and 2014, which should soon be destroyed … without ever having hosted the slightest event. A revolting waste which almost ruined this village of barely 1300 inhabitants.

The story goes back a dozen years. At the time, the mayor, Alan-Erwan Coraud, decided to build a multipurpose room “because there was a shortage of it in the region”. This 1072 m2 building was to “meet the expectations of the associative world” et “accommodate a whole bunch of private events such as weddings, baptisms or even tea dances for seniors”. All while bringing money to the municipality. The elected official without labels, who presents himself as an accomplished business leader and a good manager, believes he has done everything in…