Michel Leprêtre, President of Grand-Orly Seine Bièvre: “Land Must Be Set Aside for Reindustrialization”

Michel Leprêtre: At Grand-Orly Seine Bièvre, we fully grasped the issue while developing our intermunicipal local urban plan Plan Local d'Urbanisme Intercommunal. As we examined certain aspects of this plan more closely, public health agencies issued a very clear warning. In our area, road traffic and logistics flows have a significant impact on residents’ health, particularly because of local pollutants. This was no longer merely a technical or planning matter; it directly affected the well-being of the population.

M.L. : Yes, absolutely. We felt we had to get to the heart of the matter: learn, understand, analyze. This led us to begin working with stakeholders who were already engaged, particularly Afilog, to develop a coordinated response. The goal was clear: no longer to simply endure logistics. Today, we seek to steer it, regulate it and fully integrate it into a territorial strategy.

Hasna Berkia-Guez : At Barjane, we have always believed that our projects cannot be conceived without co-development with the territories in which we operate. Our projects contribute to regional planning and, in that respect, succeed through dialogue with local stakeholders : elected officials, institutions, citizens and, of course, the site’s future users.

H. B-G : Yes, it is Parc des Aiguilles, near Marseille. It is a flagship project in modern logistics. The site was an exceptionally complex brownfield: a former backfilled quarry, a former incinerator, and extensive illegal dumping… It took more than ten years of work to redevelop it into a logistics business park. This would not have been possible without the mobilization of a whole ecosystem of stakeholders that we brought together by signing a commitment charter: the metropolitan authority, the region, the sub-prefecture, ADEME, construction companies, users such as Action and Decathlon, and of course professional stakeholders such as Afilog. This charter is an action agreement centered on 3 themes : employment, the environment and local roots. An annual monitoring committee, chaired by the sub-prefecture, makes it possible to refine the actions, particularly those concerning employee mobility. It is genuine collective work over the long term.

M. L. : In my view, we need rules. And tools. If necessary, this may involve binding measures. Logistics is an essential activity—no one disputes that. But to integrate it intelligently into our territories, we need to organize land uses, share objectives and build on practical experience. Otherwise, unregulated logistics will be allowed to proliferate, and residents will bear the consequences.

M. L. :With Grand-Orly Seine Bièvre, we have an area with a long history of industry and production. But we have also experienced sudden losses, closures and the release of sometimes very large parcels of land. These sites were often quickly taken up by logistics, not necessarily as part of any strategy. Today, our goal is to set aside major land holdings for productive and economic activities. This requires consistency and planning, particularly with partners such as Aéroport de Paris and state services.

M. L. : Yes—for example, at the former Renault site in Choisy-le-Roi. When the factory closed, we launched a call for proposals with one very clear requirement: given its proximity to housing, most logistics activity had to be handled via the Seine. This is a principle we upheld, and it proved to be structurally important. It shows that industrial activity can return while respecting local balances.

H. B-G : One cannot exist without the other. A high-performing industry needs supplies, secure inventories and the ability to move its products under the right conditions. Logistics is an essential link, often from the outset of an industrial project. If I had to cite an example of a major industrial group anticipating the logistics function, I would mention the project carried out by Thales in Cholet. The group has operated there since 1936. For its new 21-hectare campus, which will eventually bring together 2,600 engineers, technicians and operators, the first building delivered was a logistics hub. This clearly illustrates the strategic role logistics plays in the industrial ecosystem.

H. B-G : We have to adapt. Once land has been secured, it is essential to intensify its use, build higher and optimize every square meter. The regulatory framework is evolving, sometimes rapidly: ZAN deadlines have already been revised, but our role is to keep moving forward despite these adjustments.

M. L. : I agree. The issue is not so much the scarcity of land as the way it is used. For too long, we developed horizontally, consuming space without restraint. Today, we need to think vertically and embrace innovation. In Vitry-sur-Seine, we launched a vertical logistics project with Sogaris. It is now being rolled out. This is the approach that must be generalized: making every square meter more productive while seeking environmental co-benefits.

M. L. : On paper, yes. But in practice, it remains very complicated. There are very concrete examples: for one brownfield site in our area, remediation was estimated at €8 million… while the aid received was only €180,000. That imbalance is untenable. If we truly want brownfields to become a driver of development, much stronger support is needed, along with shared responsibility, including on the part of private-sector stakeholders.

H. B-G : Brownfield redevelopment is indeed one solution to land scarcity, but in reality it is not always an easy strategy to implement. Yet sometimes it can be done: at Barjane, we have a fine example of successful redevelopment with Biocoop’s Île-de-France distribution center, built on the site of a former brickworks in Ollainville (Essonne), which had stood abandoned for around ten years. We dismantled the building, rebuilt a logistics platform certified HQE Excellent and Biodivercity, reused as many materials as possible, and incorporated architectural elements linked to the site’s history, as the brickworks appears on the town’s coat of arms. But every brownfield is a special case. There is no turnkey solution: it requires tailored solutions, environmental engineering, remediation protocols and appropriate resources.