URBAN PLANNING: The huge shed on the Quai de l’Aiguillon will be demolished. The port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire has launched a call for projects to succeed it
- Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port is calling on investors to erect a new building in place of Hangar 12.
- This partially empty port facility will be demolished in 2023.
- Candidates have until December 16 to declare themselves.
The people of Nantes no longer pay attention to it, as it seems to have been part of the landscape forever. Ideally located on the banks of the Loire, between the Quai de la Fosse and the Extraordinary Garden, Hangar 12 on the Quai de l’Aiguillon will be demolished. Built in 1973, this 2,350 square meter building, almost as long as the Banana Hangar located just opposite, has had little activity in recent years except that it was partly used as a storage place and training for Loire Pilots . Considering its dilapidation and its “lack of heritage interest”, its owner, the Grand Port maritime de Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, therefore decided to replace it with a new building. For what activity? This is precisely the meaning of the call for expressions of interest (AMI) launched in mid-September.
Until December 16, potential investors are thus invited to declare themselves and make known their intentions. The Grand Port will study the applications and designate a winner next summer. Which will be entrusted with the construction of the new building, the development of the quay stretching over an area of 12,000 square meters, then their operation for a period “to be defined”. The future occupant will also have the option of installing “floating equipment” instead of a disused barge.
“A strong interest in the place”
Shops, bars, restaurants, offices, workshops, cultural venues… “We are open to all possibilities”, assures Benjamin Boge, manager of real estate programs at Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port. However, projects for “housing, industrial activity likely to generate a risk of pollution, and activity likely to generate a significant automobile flow (drive, etc.)” are excluded. Other constraints: the construction cannot exceed 2,350 square meters on the ground and will be limited to two floors in order to comply with town planning rules. It must also be “exemplary in environmental terms”.
“We will be very attentive to the type of activity offered and its urban integration. It is an exceptional site, in a rapidly changing sector, close to the city centre. We want to bring it back to life and enhance it, ”justifies Benjamin Boge. “There have been a lot of requests for file withdrawals since September,” he continues. We feel a strong interest in the place. »
The demolition of Hangar 12, at the port’s expense, will take place “during the second half of 2023 at the earliest”. It will lead to the disappearance of the spectacular fresco by the artists Ador and Semor. It will be followed by consolidation work on the quay foundations. Given the study and construction deadlines, delivery of the new building is not envisaged before 2025-2026.
