New rally against the tropical greenhouse project on the Opal Coast

This greenhouse with a dome of 20.000 m² and 35 m high, which will house butterflies, hummingbirds, fish, reptiles and exotic trees, will be the largest tropical greenhouse in the world, according to its promoters.

Estimated at 73 million euros, this project is partially subsidized by the region (2 million euros loan), the urban community (400.000 euros) and European funds (10 million).

"This project, silly, absurd, does not hold water. It is from another time. You should not be fooled by a lark mirror to bring out yet another white elephant", told the AFP Julien Bayou, national secretary of EELV, reached by phone.

According to him, the fields in question promised to artificialization should be used in particular to feed the canteens, in organic, and the public authorities should develop "ecotourism, a more resistant solution", in the region. "What's good for the climate is good jobs," he repeated.

In support of the MEP and head of the EELV list for regional Karima Delli, the only candidate capable according to him to engage Hauts-de-France "in this direction", he denounced a "Xavier Bertrand (president of the regional council, ex- LR) who squanders public funds on projects that make no sense.

In the presence of the LFI deputy Ugo Bernalicis, the EELV MEP Yannick Jadot and the mayor of Grenoble EELV Eric Piolle, between 150 people, according to the prefecture, and 200 according to EELV, gathered near some 9 ha of agricultural land transformed into "concerted development zone" in 2010, between the municipalities of Verton and Rang-du-Fliers.

The developers obtained a building permit at the end of 2019 against which an appeal was filed with the administrative courts. A hearing should be held by the end of the summer, according to the prefecture on Saturday. On December 20, around 150 opponents of the project had already demonstrated.