the Toulouse court examines a request to suspend the construction site

The battle continues. The summary judge of the Toulouse administrative court examines this Monday, January 13, a request for suspension of the A69 construction site filed by organizations opposed to this highway, a new episode in the long battle engaged over this controversial project.

The collective “La Voie est libre” as well as other partner associations have chosen to initiate this new action following the resumption of the investigation concerning the environmental authorizations of the construction site, decided on December 9 by the administrative court of Toulouse .

This latest approach by the court was described as“surprising” by the associations which, after months of unsuccessful struggle against the motorway, had very seriously regained hope when the public rapporteur, an independent magistrate whose opinions must inform the administrative courts, declared herself in favor of a cancellation of the authorization of the A69 motorway construction site, during a hearing on the merits on November 25.

“Never too late to give up”, according to opponents

Counting on the fact that the opinions of public rapporteurs are generally followed by the administrative courts, the opponents impatiently awaited the decision of the Toulouse court but the latter therefore finally chose on December 9 the unexpected option of reopening the court. ‘instruction.

The summary examined this Monday “requests the suspension of the work pending the judgment on the merits which should take place at the end of February 2025”affirm the associations concerned not to see the construction site, already well advanced, continue to progress while justice reflects on the decision to be taken.

Despite what has already been achieved on this 53 km route planned to connect Castres and Toulouse from the end of 2025, opponents believe that it “It’s never too late to give up”especially since the site has, according to them, “more than a year late”an assertion vigorously contested by the manufacturer and future dealer, Atosca.

A reform of environmental law demanded

Ahead of the examination of the summary judgment, more than a hundred lawyers and academics signed a forum at the end of last week demanding a reform of environmental law. According to these professionals, the A69 file would indeed be emblematic of a “politics of fait accompli” as part of major infrastructure projects where “everything is done to preserve economic interests” to the detriment of the law.

With the reopening of the investigation decided by the Toulouse court on the A69, they believe in particular, “justice sends the message that developers have every interest in implementing delaying tactics (…) to give themselves every chance that cancellation of the project is made impossible”.

Source: www.liberation.fr