Swept away by the mayor, the pavement tax makes way for a new "motto"

After he swept away the project of pavement tax which infuriated the Angers down town store owners since June, the mayor, Frédéric Beatse, announced on Thursday he had just met these. That change of "motto" will be accompanied with a study about "the necessary conditions" allowing Angers down town to develop as a place for life and for trade.

That new way will deal, from october, with the trends of the customers' behavior in down town and all the aspects regarding the access, the parking and the material conditions for shopping in that place. "We must have a global and consistent vision about down town", said Jacques Motteau, deputy mayor in charge of trade. But "Nothing practical stands out from that meeting", said one of the persons having taken part in it.

Obviously, the Angers city council want to calm down the debate. But the store owners can't stay on an unique critical approach. The mayor is looking for results and possible tests at the end of the year. "A new plan for the down town future must emerge from that work", Mr Beatse said.