A-Infos (en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL n° special - Leroy Merlin DIY Grand capitalist in the Tarn (fr, it, pt) [machine translation]

With new as useless project the construction of a building materials store, the town of 
Albi always goes further its metropolitan referred to development logic. ---- After the 
UNESCO classification of the Episcopal city, the construction of a convention center, 
theater and building requalification of the national stage from Albi multiplex cinema 
underground parking for € 60 million, the city of Albi wants its Leroy Merlin. On the 
program: immediate concreting 9 hectares of farmland, jobs created, enhancing the 
attractiveness of the city and destruction of the eighteenth century farm. The 
implementation of store would overload an axis already considered by city officials as a 
black dot. It also would impact the living environment of a nursing home nearby. Let us 
dwell on the point concreting and destruction. Land and building owned by the hospital in 
a dire financial situation. The farm from a legacy made in 1925 which provided that half 
of the products of a possible sale would return to the hospital and the other to religious 
charities. It was decided that the money raised back to 1.4 million euros in the hospital 
and the rest of the communal social action center.

The sale to a local developer certainly would offset some of the debt of 3.1 million 
euros, but the problem is that the tenant of the land, Auchan, tax optimization practice 
to the point of pay one euro tax. So money fled into the pockets of the Mulliez family, 
without returning enrich the state and its communities.

Jobs lost in other stores

Incidentally, food self-sufficiency of the city and heritage protection built into 
workhorses of the town takes a little bit. According to the municipality, the land would 
lie fallow even exploit the farmer and the farm in poor condition and "squatted" while the 
hospital has invested in 1990 nearly 500 000 euros in its total renovation, the farm is 
far announced the bad state. Anyway it does not matter it will create jobs and attract 
good customers to 80 km radius. That's not counting all the jobs lost in other DIY stores 
in the catchment area and the transfer of employees to Weldom teaches the same group, 
located 500 meters away.

To top it all, the project was, according to local leaders, subject to public inquiry at 
the local town planning changes in 2010 and 2013 and at public meetings where the project 
background has as usual been question. Thus in 2015, residents have learned with surprise 
that Leroy Merlin would move. Six of them have sued the demolition permit and develop and 
saw an appeal for abuse of process fall on them. Indeed, Aadur (Association of Opponents) 
could not litigate because of its statutes. In short, a fine example of participatory 
democracy in the Albigensian sauce.

Paul (AL Tarn)

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Leroy-Merlin-Grand-bricolage
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