The fate of the New Banks of Maine scheme burns the bridges between city council majority and opposition

Le sort du projet Angers Rives Nouvelles coupe les ponts entre majorité et opposition municipales. - Après une sorte de trêve des hostilités entre nouvelles majorité et minorité municipales depuis la fin de la campagne électorale et l'installation des nouveaux élus, les choses commencent à revenir à la normale. Les critiques de l'opposition surgissent à propos de l'abandon du projet Nouvelles berges de Maine ce qui vaut aux tenants de l'abandon de réagir à celles-ci. Entre les deux camps, les relations ne sont plus "un long fleuve tranquille". 

After a kind of break between the new and the former majorities of the Angers town council since the end of municipal elections, things could return to normal now or, in other words, to... arguments. The mayor, Christophe Béchu, who, in his platform, spoke in favour of a less ambitious project regarding the Maine banks reconquest, has recently met the architect selected by the previous city council to implement the urban scheme. Angers, which is involved with that architect until June 2015, has already let him know that a € 6 millions per year for thirty years did't match anymore the resources of the town. So the closure of the company set up by the previous city council to implement the project could be on the agenda.


A minority town councillor, Sylvia Camara-Tombini, blames Mr. Béchu's decision form and substance. "The mayor has met François Grether [the architect] in secret to evoke the future of the Angers New Banks schme. What a difference with the way Frédéric Béatse proceeded...What's going on with the dialog,  the inputs of hundreds of Angevins? Clearly all that is swept away with the back of the hand by Christophe Béchu in a place safe from inhabitants' look", says Mrs Camara-Tombini. This one bluntly advices to the new municipal team to "have the knowledge of the files, to lead surveys and to listen to Angevins before snap decisions. The issue deserves more than a coffee with an architect".

Logically, the deputy-mayor in charge of the theme, Roch Brancour, replied that "the project of the new city council was known by everybody and the city council minority looks to forget that the Angevins have decided, that has to be reminded, by 54% in favour of Christophe Béchu' idea. The Angevins consultation about the settlement of the Maine banks indeed took place and with the universal suffrage". Yes things indeed return to normal...