Virbac, Magna Porta, Nîmes Sud: Nîmes Métropole prepares the ground for economic development

Le terrain qui doit accueillir l’unité de production de Virbac à Saint-Gilles, non loin d’habitations. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

During the community council of Monday, September 23, the Agglo Nîmes Métropole presented several files related to the local economy that give hope for job creation.

Several deliberations on the agenda of the Nîmes Métropole community council of this Monday, September 23 presented various projects for the establishment of companies that provide jobs. An overview is necessary.

Favorable opinion on Virbac

The project to set up a production unit (manufacturing and packaging of dry pet food in Vauvert, health and well-being products in Carros) of the Virbac group in the Mitra area of ​​Saint-Gilles has in recent months led to an outcry from local residents and even from the Garons municipal council, which has expressed its opposition.

The Nîmes Métropole community council has issued a favourable opinion on this project to create a unit. Olivier Fabregoul, Deputy Vice-President for the Economy, was keen to reassure on the treatment of odours in this future factory with a fully partitioned manufacturing process, 100% of the flow of odourous air and dust channelled and treated.

“70% of the water used in the process, once filtered, will be reused by households. We have all the guarantees with a unique system in France. It will be a gem for our territory. Of the more than €60 million invested, €7 million will be for odor treatment” , noted the elected official. 70 jobs will be preserved, 90 others created and up to 300 indirect jobs generated. The work should start in the 3rd quarter of 2025 and be operational by the end of 2027.

Corinne Giacometti, in the ranks of the left-wing opposition, asked to postpone this deliberation to the next community council on November 7. She believes that more “documents and guarantees, more details on the impact” to reassure the population of Garons while recalling that the public inquiry ends on November 8.

Olivier Fabregoul recalled that Virbac has been the subject of discussions for a year and a half, with a detailed file, information gathering in similar factories in England, Belgium and Canada. The Agglo therefore considered that there was no cause for concern with 95% of elected officials voting in favor.

Nîmes Sud on the right track

The elected officials of Nîmes Métropole approved this Monday the principle of creating the Nîmes Sud economic activity zone on the site of the former railway bypass works base of the Nîmes Montpellier line as well as the operational perimeter.

The rapporteur Jean-Christophe Grégoire recalled that the project required 78 hectares of land with, to the south, the 12 hectares of the economic zone, where a company providing 400 to 500 jobs could be set up.

This could interest logisticians, especially since it is connected to the rail network. In the center, the future prison is to be built on about twenty hectares (500-600 posts announced) and, to the north, the largest sanctuary area: “The little bustard gets the lion's share”, said elected official Jean-Christophe Grégoire. This bustard that gets on Franck Proust's nerves, who would like faster economic development.

Corinne Giacometti raised the question of the future of this project if the prison is never built. “We had a meeting last week with the services of the Apij (authority for building penitentiary establishments, editor's note). This prison must be built and for the economic zone we have a company that is already there. The schedule is maintained. There is urgency due to prison overcrowding in Nîmes”, announced Franck Proust. However, the latter thinks that the prison will not be built before the end of the presidential term, that is, after 2027.

Magna Porta: announcements in 2025

The Magna Porta area in Manduel came up several times during the community council debates. One of the deliberations concerned the acquisition of plots from the SNCF on the former Chemin du Mas Larrier, which allowed Sylvette Fayet (left-wing opposition) to question the president of the Agglo on this “unoccupied building that cost a lot”. The latter replied that this well-located building was not designed to be used for catering, the verdict of many professionals who came to visit the premises.

In addition, the elected officials voted in favor of filing an application for environmental authorization and initiating a declaration procedure of public utility on the Magna Porta development operation. “We are working with the mayor of Manduel on the revision of the local urban plan which will allow us to have a timetable. I will be able to announce the signing of companies in 2025”, confided the president of the Agglo.

He mentioned the upcoming arrival of a project leader at Mas Larrier who will create tourist activity.

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