What happens to the major urban project Pirmil-Les Isles?

It is one of the largest urban projects in the Nantes conurbation. The Pirmil-Les Isles development project, between Nantes and Rezé, has been known to the general public for over six years. But, while the first constructions were initially planned for 2019, nothing came of the ground.

The last public meeting was already in September 2019 and the timetable remains unclear. To the point that the inhabitants of the area begin to wonder. However, the project is progressing, assures Nantes Métropole. A test garden has also just opened to the public on the Transfer site.

What is Pimil-Les Isles again?

The “ambitious” project begins at the Pirmil bridge and ends, nearly 3 km further west, at the Atout Sud shopping area and the Trentemoult district. The objective is to develop this vast sector, with its many vacant lots, into a “new place to live” near the Loire. Many accommodations are planned, but also activities, ground-floor shops and some public services (nursery, school group, sports hall). Nature will be at the heart of the project, while the space devoted to the car will be greatly reduced. The architect-urban planner in charge of the project is called Frédéric Bonnet.

Why did the project give the feeling of not moving forward?

“The calendar was slowed down by the double electoral sequence (municipal 2020, regional and departmental 2021), explains Pascal Pras, vice-president of Nantes Métropole in charge of town planning. The health crisis and the difficulty of organizing meetings obviously did not help. There was also the arrival of a new municipal team in Rezé. She needed to take ownership of the project, to discuss with the metropolis, while she is already leading two large urban projects in parallel (ZAC de la Jaguère and Château de Rezé). “However, Pimil-Les Isles is” especially not dormant “, promises the elected. “We’re working on it. We had several working meetings with elected officials and the architect-urban planner. “

What is this test garden on the Transfert site?

Visible since July 3 on the former slaughterhouse wasteland converted into a cultural site, this test garden “foreshadows a future neighborhood garden”, explains Nantes Métropole. It shows the evolution of plantings and outdoor environments over several years in different soil compositions. “This is the first brick in Pirmil-Les Isles. It makes it possible to experiment with the return to the use of open land in a territory which has been completely artificialized for decades, ”comments Pascal Pras. In addition to “green flows” and “shared gardens”, Pirmil-Les Isles provides two parks: one at the mouth of the Sèvre, the other on the banks of the Loire near the Trois-Continents bridge.

Will the number of dwellings be reduced?

This was one of the sensitive points of the project. Some 3,300 new homes, or around 7,000 new inhabitants, are scheduled in Pirmil-Les-Isles, two thirds of which are on the Rezean side (Basse-île, former slaughterhouses). A volume that impresses a lot of local residents, worried about the intensification in progress. Rezé’s new municipal team heard the message. “The volume objective is maintained,” says Pascal Pras. But we have worked a lot with the elected representatives of Reza on urban intensity which can be a factor in the city’s success. We have worked a lot on the uses, the mix of functions, the elements that make up quality of life. The heights will be acceptable because we will also add green and dirt. Frédéric Bonnet initially thought of this project as a reconquest of natural spaces. “

Where will the tram stop?

The new tram lines 6, 7 and 8, which will serve the future CHU by 2026, will have the same station imagined today in Rezé, along Boulevard Schoelcher, at the outlet of the Trois-Continents bridge. But the mayors of the south-Loire would like the route to continue near the Rezé Town Hall (entrance to Atout Sud), or even to Petite-Californie, between Rezé and Bouguenais. “For the moment, the line stops at the angle Schoelcher-route de Pornic, confirms the vice-president of Nantes Métropole. But the reflection continues to see where we take the tram and in what time frame. The decision is not made. “

When will the work begin?

“I cannot give dates, answers Pascal Pras. We are in the process of adjusting our calendars with the services and partners. The first works on the public space should however take place in 2022, followed by the first real estate constructions. Then, the projects will follow one another over a period of “ten to fifteen years”. New meetings with residents are planned from the next school year.

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