Nantes: green light from the town hall for a new tower near the Saupin stadium, an association remains opposed to the project

Will there be any appeals against the project to build a new tower around fifty meters high, near the Saupin stadium, in Nantes, south of the station ? This Tuesday evening, at 6:30 p.m., at the Bitche workshops, the association of Friends of the Loire/Erdre confluence will hold an extraordinary general meeting to discuss a possible appeal against the building permit issued in mid-April by the town hall to this project.

68 accommodations and next to it a public swimming pool

This 17-level tower will notably house 68 housing units from T2 to T5. In a building, right next door, a Nordic swimming pool, an outdoor pool 50 meters long, equipment operated by the City. The developer – the Giboire group – hopes to start work in the first half of 2025 for delivery at the end of 2027.

“This is the first time that we have had a building permit. In the past, we had made requests, but we had to rework our copy in collaboration with the city services”confides Geoffroy Petit, regional director of the Giboire group. In this third version, the panoramic restaurant project on the roof terrace has disappeared. And to continue: “what makes me optimistic is that on this issue, there is a very, very strong expectation from the general public, from local residents in the broad sense, particularly in relation to nautical equipment, in addition of course to the need for produce housing.”

A local residents’ association still opposed

This project also has its opponents, united within the Friends of the Erdre/Loire confluence. The association says it has around 200 supporters and relies on a hard core of around ten people, according to one of its spokespersons, Edgar Barrois. She denounces a lack of information and transparency over the months on the part of the town hall. “On the swimming pool, for example, if it is a public facility, what is the cost? Is it the best place compared to other swimming pools? If the swimming pool is there to pass the pill of the tower, we find that It’s too high a price to pay.”explains Edgar Barrois.

What also puts the wind in the association is the height of the building on this location: “at a time when the mayor of Nantes is showing her desire to proceed with the renaturation of the Metropolis and the City (..) to create islands of freshness, we cannot find anything better than to install an enormous mass high 58 meters (editor’s note: the promoter mentions 53 meters)”she wrote in a press release.

When requested, the Nantes town hall indicates “not having to comment on a project carried out by a private person.”