It is a twenty-year-old project which has just been unblocked in Villejuif (Val-de-Marne), not without creating a stir. The municipal council voted this Wednesday evening the promise of sale of a plot of 1900 m2 to the Association of Muslims of Villejuif (AMV), cramped in its aging premises on rue Roger-Morinet.
The AMV will build a mosque there with prayer rooms, classrooms, library and tea room, even if the precise architectural project will be defined later. The plot chosen, called Le Portail, is located along the D 7 between 77-79, avenue de Paris and 7, rue Henri-Barbusse, a stone’s throw from the Léo-Lagrange metro. The architectural project will be defined later.
Amount of the sale: 2.4 million euros. The municipality, owner, yields the place to a property company created by the AMV for the occasion. “This is the price at which we bought the land in 2019 from the Syndicat d’Action Foncière (SAF) and this corresponds to the estimate received by the Estates in June”, specifies the mayor, Pierre Garzon (PCF).
“It is already impossible to park in the area”
In the city council chamber on Wednesday, dozens of Muslims made the trip for this historic date. Dressed in their festive attire on this day of Eid-el-Kébir, they applauded warmly during the vote, which sealed the outcome of a complicated file that had experienced many disappointments.
But opponents of the project also came to attend the session to express their anger at what they called “a denial of democracy”. For them, the ground of the avenue de Paris is unsuitable: “It is already impossible to park in the sector. Even parents struggle to drop their children off at school. And on Friday, the day of prayer, it will bring a very important flow. All of this will create nuisances in a neighborhood that does not lend itself at all to this type of project”, sum up the groups Nothing will be done without us, Bien Vivre in Villejuif Est, Villejuif Esprit Village, Tranquillité pour tous and the association of inhabitants and residents of the Aragon district.
“A recent petition gathered 600 signatures against this settlement,” adds a protester. “We are trying to be heard but the city has already made its decision a long time ago”, denounces another.
“The residents of Léo-Lagrange have nothing to fear”
The town hall concedes that the question of parking will have to be considered. One of the leads? Use the car park of a large neighboring company on Friday, day of prayer… and telework. “Many will also come by public transport: the site is very well served, right next to the Léo-Lagrange metro and bus 185”, recalls Salah, vice-president of the AMV.
Villejuif, this Wednesday. The municipal council hall brought together Muslims from the AMV, elected officials and opponents of the future mosque.
In 2015, the association counted a hundred faithful for daily prayers, 500 to 800 faithful for those on Fridays and more than 1,000 during the holidays. “The residents of Léo-Lagrange have nothing to fear, reassures Salah. Everything is already going very well in the current premises even though they are small and in a narrow street in the city center. So everything will be fine there too. »
A place also chosen by the former right-wing mayor
Christel Esclangon (MoDem), elected opposition member, explains that she is “for the construction of a second place of worship for Muslims in Villejuif” but admits to being “skeptical about the choice of place and method. There are other vacant lots, near Arcueil for example, which would have made it possible to offer the association a lower price, or near the ZAC Campus Grand Parc developed by Sadev, of which Mr. Garzon is the president. “.
“The site of the avenue de Paris had been chosen by the former mayor Franck Le Bohellec (DVD), yet a fierce opponent of the future mosque, retorts Pierre Garzon, with supporting evidence. There will be consultation on the architectural and urban planning project because this center will have to be integrated into the future redevelopment of the district, which will include a pedestrian path between the D 7 and Pasteur, green spaces…”
“I even see an interest in the district because it will bring customers for the market, adds Guillaume Bulcourt (PCF), one of his assistants. I have been hearing about this project since 2001. However, in 2023, Muslims still do not have a place of worship worthy of the name. Because it’s simple: everyone is always for mosques, but it’s never the right place. »
#Mosque #project #Villejuif #town #hall #votes #sale #land #opponents #protest
