Following an urgent application brought by organisations, elected representatives and members of the public, the Conseil d’État today ruled that public participation in decisions regarding work required to host the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the French Alps must not necessarily be in the form of public consultation on all the work. Spanning four different geographic areas, the works, structures and developments – diverse in nature, serving different purposes and capable of being used independently – do not constitute a single development or infrastructure project. However, the public should be consulted regarding the various projects involved in organising the Games where their environmental impact so warrants.
Organisations, elected representatives and members of the public brought an urgent application before the administrative courts, requesting that they order the contracting authorities responsible for works to be carried out in preparation for the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to refer the matter to the French commission for public consultation, or take the necessary steps to enable such a referral by publishing the list and details of the projects or, failing that, by organising another form of public consultation covering all of the works.
After the case was referred to it by the Marseilles Administrative Court, the Conseil d’État ruled that, taken as a whole, the various works, structures and developments required for the organisation of the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games did not constitute a single development or infrastructure project necessitating the public consultation process provided for by law.
The Conseil d’État noted that, although the works, structures and developments were intended to contribute to the same sporting event, they were geographically distant from each another (spanning at least fourteen locations in four different areas: “Haute-Savoie”, “Savoie”, “Briançonnais” and “Nice”), were of different types, had a range of intended uses (such as providing transportation to the Olympic and Paralympic venues, hosting competitors and hosting competitions) and would, for the most part, result in facilities that could be used independently.
The public must be given the opportunity to participate in decisions regarding the various projects involved in organising the Games where their environmental impact so warrants, notably through any applications for planning permission that may be submitted.