The case of the Hermitage towers is an endless soap opera! While the twin towers project twice 320 meters high seemed to be heading towards an abandonment following the quarrel between the Russian promoter Hermitage and Paris La Défense, a new twist puts it back on the front of the stage.
The public establishment announced on Tuesday that its board of directors has approved a transactional protocol with the company Hermitage, intervened under the aegis of a mediator appointed by the Judicial Court of Nanterre. “This agreement gives a new dynamic to the Hermitage Plaza project”, affirms Paris La Défense.
“The transactional protocol was drawn up within the framework of a mediation initiated since last autumn between Paris La Défense and Hermitage SAS. It makes it possible to put an end to the contractual disagreements which had led to litigation ”, affirms Paris La Défense in a press release.
“The protocol avoids engaging in long legal proceedings. Under the aegis of the mediator appointed by the Judicial Court, we have acted with pragmatism to preserve the interests of the Saisons district, immediately visible at the entrance to La Défense from Paris, and of its inhabitants for whom the challenges of the Hermitage Plaza project are essential ”, indicates Georges Siffredi, president of Paris La Défense and of the Hauts-de-Seine department. “With this protocol, the company Hermitage and Paris La Défense are giving themselves a legal framework and a precise timetable to achieve, by the end of 2021, the signing of a promise to sell”, added for his shares Pierre-Yves Guice, Managing Director of Paris La Défense.
This new protocol, which reshuffles the cards of the project by redefining the obligations of Paris La Défense and the promoter Hermitage, also sets a new timetable on the financial conditions of its execution concerning the sale of building rights. The first deadline is December 31, 2021, the date on which the promises to sell must be signed. It then sets 31 December 2023 at the latest as the date on which the deeds of sale must have been concluded.
The sky therefore seems to be clearing up for Emin Iskenderov, the CEO of Hermitage, who has been carrying this project designed by the English architect Norman Foster since 2009. To erect these two giant towers which must mix luxury housing, offices, a hotel, shops as well as student housing, the Russian developer will have to acquire all of the Damiers Infra, Anjou and Brittany from RATP Habitat. Residence of 250 units which has only two tenants, subject to an eviction procedure. Another subject remains for Hermitage, and not the least to be settled: that of the financing of this operation amounted to nearly three billion euros.
Contacted, Emin Iskenderov did not respond to our requests to comment on this new agreement.
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