The planning of the Cornaux regional economic center sees the end of the tunnel. Designed to accommodate economic activities, it is also intended to accommodate a CFF operational base necessary for the creation of the direct line. For these purposes, the file was adapted by the Municipal Council in good coordination with the Council of State. The use plan will also make it possible to accommodate more strategic economic activities on the site for the municipality and the canton.
Lhe Marais-aux-Chevaux site, served to the north by railway lines and to the south by the motorway, covers some 15 hectares, including 12 hectares allocated to construction. Recognized since 2011 as an economic development center of regional interest by the cantonal master plan, the Marais-aux-Chevaux is initially intended to accommodate economic, commercial and industrial activities. In this context, it is intended in particular to accommodate a new CFF operational base. Indeed, currently located at Portes-Rouges in Neuchâtel, on the route of the future direct line Neuchâtel – La Chaux-de-Fonds, and more precisely at the location of the future tunnel portal, the current operational base must be moved . As a replacement, the CFF is now planning to build it on part of the land they own in Marais-aux-Chevaux to restore the functionalities removed in Neuchâtel.
AIn order to expand the possibilities for setting up companies whose activities are strategic for the canton – in particular microtechnology, pharma or medical technologies – the Municipality of Cornaux, with the support of the Council of State, intends to allow the hosting economic activities on plots initially reserved for commercial activities. This adaptation of the regulation also responds to changing needs and the growth of online commerce requiring less commercial space.
Lhe planning of the Marais-aux-Chevaux site began in 2013 with a modification of the town’s development plan in order to allocate plots no. 3716 and 3756 to an area intended to accommodate artisanal and commercial activities. This assignment was confirmed by a popular municipal vote. This was followed by the establishment of a special plan specifying the distribution of uses decided by the General Council in June 2017. Since then, the canton, the Municipality of Cornaux, the Federal Roads Office (OFROU), the CFF and the developer wishing to develop the site have agreed on the conditions for creating the site and financing the necessary equipment. They essentially include a service road, the gradual adaptation of the road junction to the resulting traffic loads as well as the creation of a soft mobility footbridge adjoining the bridge spanning the CFF tracks.
The General Council of the Municipality of Cornaux will be informed of the adaptations planned to the plan during the meeting of December 9, 2024, the special plan can then be sanctioned by the Council of State. Building on the significant coordination work that was necessary, the various project partners are committed to supporting the creation of the Cornaux regional economic development center. It responds to the demand from strategic industrial companies for the canton and appears to be a first stone in the construction of the direct line and the Neuchâtel RER.
Swiss
Related News :