Yes to the skyscraper project in Toulouse!

The Council of State on Tuesday rejected opponents of the construction of the Tour Occitanie, a 150 meter high building planned in the center of Toulouse, deeming their appeal inadmissible.

The Occitanie Tower project had become in recent years the illustration of a never-ending story. After many twists and turns, the Council of State definitively rejected the opponents of the construction of the said tower. A look back at the genesis of a project whose delivery date was planned between 2021 and 2022 for a total investment of 130 million euros.

A 40-story green tower in the sky of the Pink City

The building permit for this 40-story tower, a first in the 4th city in France devoid of tall buildings, had been issued by the Toulouse town hall in 2019 for the benefit of Parisian promoter the Compagnie de Phalsbourg. The project, born from the imagination ofAmerican architect Daniel Libeskindand arrived first in international competition organized by SNCF Immobilier and Toulouse Métropoleanticipated a green building from top to bottom, with spiral glass facadesthe succession of terraces on each floor forming a plant ribbon wrapping around the buildingnear the Matabiau station and the metro.

The vertical green ribbon references the lush Canal du Midi waterway winding through the city. Ribbons have glass facades, the others are formed of vertical gardens created by landscape architect Nicolas Gilsoul on a construction height of 150 m. © Phalsbourg Company

The tower is planned to house:

– 11 000 m² offices,

– 2 000 m² of shops,

– around a hundred housing units,

– a panoramic restaurant-bar obviously offering a breathtaking view of the city,

– a 4-star Hilton hotel,

– and, finally, SNCF premises in the base of the building.

Where the shoe pinches

However, Occitania Towerfor the visibly numerous Anglophiles, did not only count aficionados. Four associations, including FNE (France Nature Environment) et “No to the Toulouse skyscraper”as well as three individuals, considering the project disproportionate, unsuccessful and polluting, had contacted the State Council in the last instance. By ruling their appeal inadmissible, the highest French administrative authority confirms the decisions rejecting the administrative court of Toulouse in June 2022 as of administrative court of appeal of Toulouse in February 2024.

The opponents contested the decision of the court of appeal, in particular on its assessment of “the project impact study […] regarding the vulnerability to climate change of the Occitanie tower“, according to the decision of State Council. They considered this study “insufficient“, especially on “the needs of the project in water and substrates for the creation and maintenance of its plant part“, or even on the analysis of “the impact of the tower in terms of parking spaces“. The main arguments they put forward are as follows:

– the ecological impact, since they denounced the project as a “ecological aberration“, unsuitable for the current context of climate change and potentially energy-intensive;

– The impact on the urban landscape, with some fearing that the tower will distort thevisual identity of Toulouseas well as its historical heritage;

– The risks of gentrification, with a possible rising property prices in the neighborhood, coupled with an absence of social housing in the project;

– And, finally, the lack of public consultation as much as the modification of the PLU (Local Urban Planning Plan) having authorized the erection of the Tour Occitanie.

On this, the Council of State concluded: “None of these grounds is likely to allow the appeal to be admitted.“.

Support for the project

Despite the controversies and opposition, the project enjoys the support of important political figures, including the mayor of ToulouseJean-Luc Moudenc (LR), and the president of the Occitanie region, Carole Delga.

Will the Occitanie Tower soon sparkle in the Toulouse night sky? © Phalsbourg Company

The mayor of Toulouse see in the Occitanie Tour a “architectural signature that matches the ambition of a European metropolis” (as a reminder, Toulouse is the Toulouse conurbation, where the headquarters of the European giant Airbusis experiencing strong demographic growth thanks to the aeronautics sector. As for Carole Delga, she declared during the national meeting of town planning agencies in Toulouse, in a less poetic but equally effective version: “The Occitanie Tower, I’m for it!“

When will the work start?

After years of delays and legal procedures, the project finally seems to be coming to fruition, notably via two strong signals.

The demolition of the Old Postal Station

In October 2024, a significant event took place: the demolition of the old post office near Matabiau stationbuilding which occupied the location planned for the Occitanie Tour. The SNCF Real Estate made this decision in early 2024 for safety reasons, as the building has been empty for four years and is rapidly deteriorating. THE demolition workwhich began on October 15, 2024, are expected to end quickly, with a clearing phase planned until early November.

Legal advances

The project has also reached essential legal stages, especially since the opponents have just been dismissed by the State Council. But, already, in February 2024, the administrative court of appeal of Toulouse had validated the building permit for the Occitanie Towerrejecting the opponents' appeals. This decision marked the fourth legal victory in favor of the project, paving the way for its realization.

Eric Paillot, the vice-president of the Phalsbourg Companyhad expressed his confidence regarding the imminent start of the work. During an intervention in April 2024, he declared that the end of the legal procedures was near, suggesting that construction could begin as early as autumn 2024… The facts seem to have proven him right.

Source : batirama.com / Laure Pophillat