Suspension of a decree allowing the construction of a new football stadium in Brest

Seized urgently, the interim relief judge "considered that it was not sufficiently justified that the planned sports equipment met an imperative reason of major public interest", announced the administrative court in a press release.

However, this "compelling reason of major public interest" is a "criterion set by the legislator so that it can be waived from the prohibitions" on destroying protected species, the court recalled.

The judge therefore decided to suspend the execution of the prefectural decree of June 23, 2025 granting an exemption to the ban on harming certain protected animal species and their habitats.

Thirty-six species (reptiles, mammals, birds) have been identified on the Froutven site, in the commune of Guipavas (Finistère), where the new stadium, named Arkea Park, is to be built, the court recalls.

In her order, the judge justifies her decision in particular by "the absence of proven and precisely quantified data on the actual economic contribution of the project to the employment area in which it is located".

The Rennes administrative court had been approached by three environmental protection associations. "The doubts we had about the merits of the project are largely shared by the court," their lawyer Théodore Catry told AFP, saying he was "very satisfied" with the decision.

The court has yet to rule on the merits of the case.

With an estimated cost of 106,5 million euros, this new 15.000-seat stadium was to be built by 2028 on 17 hectares of agricultural land, on the edge of the Brest metropolitan area.

It is to be financed to the tune of 30 million euros by public funds provided in particular by the Brest metropolitan area, the town of Guipavas, the Finistère department and the Brittany region.

Asked by AFP, the Brest metropolitan area did not wish to react immediately, indicating that it was "examining the decision in detail".

The Francis Le Blé stadium, where the club currently plays in the heart of Brest, no longer meets the standards of professional football.

According to a survey conducted in August by the Cluster 17 institute among 802 Brest residents, on behalf of the Ecologists, a majority (57%) of the city's population is opposed to the construction of a new stadium.