At first, they didn’t notice anything. But now, the inhabitants of the brand new buildings with sinusoidal lines of the Zac du Coteau have their windows which overlook a rapidly expanding Roma slum, and they hardly appreciate the view.
“We had noticed the presence of vans carrying pieces of wood and an accumulation of garbage cans but we did not realize that people had settled in the wasteland which was protected by concrete blocks and fences. But since mid-October, I heard hammer blows and looking from my balcony, I discovered cabins under construction ”, relates Emma, a local resident.
The latter then exchanges with the neighbors on this subject. Some are starting to complain about a deterioration in their living environment with the presence of waste and filth on the public highway. Others denounce begging. Local residents are also worried about fires that are lit every day for cooking, fearing a fire. After having become attached to the services of the State, the town hall and the owners who are the developer Sadev 94 and the Departmental Council of Val-de-Marne, the inhabitants have decided to raise the tone.
Demonstration in front of the police station
A dozen local residents thus gathered on Sunday, October 18 in front of the Kremlin-Bicêtre police station, very close to their neighboring district. “Alerted, police officers came to meet us to find out the reasons for our mobilization. The following days we obtained an appointment with a senior person who was able to give us information on this file. They told us that we were no longer facing three or four cabins but rather forty. Procedures are underway but this may take some time. We were told about the Villejuif slum issue, which has been going on for two years, which is not reassuring. The police patrol two to three times a week, but that is not enough. Why not take action at the start, at the end of August, during the first installations? “Emma wonders.
Sadev 94 hopes for an expulsion procedure within a few months
Located in a dead end, near the A6 motorway lanes, this land should accommodate by 2024 a real estate program of metropolitan interest, Écotone, developed by the Compagnie de Phalsbourg. To date, a promise of sale has been signed, but while awaiting the obtaining of the building permit, the plots still belong to the Departmental Council of Val-de-Marne and to the developer Sadev 94 who is carrying the project.
Read. Écotone: Arcueil’s ecological project that erases City Zen Park
“The barracks are 90% on land in the department, which has triggered a procedure. We recently learned that a few cabins were built on a piece of land belonging to us. We have also taken legal action. In the meantime, since this summer, we have called on a patrolman to follow the evolution of the camp and alert us when he notices new installations. We intend to assert the criterion of urgency in court because the promoter (Compagnie de Phalsbourg) is in a pre-marketing period and it is difficult to canvass companies when the site is thus occupied. If this situation is not resolved quickly, it could lead to schedule delays ”, warns Gautier Deremaux, operational director of Sadev 94.
No flagrance on bare ground
Used to managing this type of situation, the developer relied on the flagrant action to quickly evict the occupants. The legislation allows for the eviction of occupants if one acts within 48 hours. However, this rule does not apply on bare land. “For two months, there were only two families, then over the weekend of October 17 and 18, dozens of people moved in. They tell us that they are around forty but the police estimate rather that they are around a hundred ”, explains Ludovic Sot, deputy mayor in charge of prevention and security. “We are working closely with the department and hope to find a quick solution. The prefect’s office has promised to speed things up so that we can have a hearing date as soon as possible. “
What social monitoring for the populations?
In the meantime, winter is approaching and dozens of families are now living there. ” We went on site with the social services of the city and the general management to propose the education of the children. We will put additional garbage cans but their presence on this ground worries us from a security point of view. There are electrical connections, gas cylinders and they are building fires. There are no toilets ”, indicates Ludovic Sot.
–
