Work on Parisian former department store La Samaritaine stops again

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/06/work-parisian-department-store-la-samaritaine-stops

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The controversial development of the former department store La Samaritaine in Paris has been halted once again after a court withdrew building permission.

The decision came just three months after a court decision stopping work on the art nouveau and art deco landmark on the right bank of the Seine was overturned.

Luxury group LVMH, owned by France’s richest man, Bernard Arnault, is behind the €460m development of the site into a palatial hotel, duty-free shops, designer stores and offices as well as social housing, a day centre and a creche.

Campaigners have objected to the knocking down of several historic buildings at the rear of the site on the popular Rue de Rivoli and the replacement of their historic facades with what the Japanese architects describe as a “set of etched glass waves” but which opponents say will look like a shower curtain.

Two of the three pre-Haussmannian buildings on the Rue de Rivoli were pulled down during a brief period in the stop-start scheme when demolition was authorised before a new court order froze the bulldozers in their tracks. The owners of La Samaritaine, who have the backing of the city authorities, will now seek a final ruling from the Council of State.

The row over the future of La Samaritaine, which was acquired by LVMH in 2001, has rumbled on since the store was closed in 2005 for safety reasons. LVMH says the project will create 2,100 jobs and was approved by the relevant government and local authorities. The redeveloped site was due to open next year.

Campaigners fighting the development hailed Monday’s court decision as a victory for Paris.

In a statement, the Society for the Protection of the Countryside and the Beauty of France and SOS Paris said the ruling by the administrative appeals court was wise and studied.

“Quite apart from La Samaritaine, which is a symbolic case, is the problem of the place of contemporary architecture in ancient areas. Today, Parisians must grasp this victory, which is the fruit of a democratic battle fought by the associations,” it said.