Residents' concerns about noise and safety

Alain Zanetti, spokesperson for the Confluence dock residents' collective, discussed the planned urban swimming project with the Lyon Capitale show "6 minutes chrono." He expressed concerns about noise disturbances, safety, and the number of people who might use the site.

Metropolis approves the project with conditions

The Lyon Metropolis has given its principle approval to the swimming project planned for the summer of 2027, but only under certain conditions. The collective acknowledges the value of providing more public swimming areas but remains worried about the project's impact on nearby residents.

Noise concerns due to site configuration

Located about thirty meters from the future swimming area, some houses could suffer from noise disturbances related to the site's configuration. Alain Zanetti explained that the dock is like an amphitheater, with very little distance between buildings, leading to strong resonance and amplified noise.

Call for an experimental season

He estimates that the announced capacity of 300 people is too high to begin with and advocates for a first experimental season. He suggests that the project should be tested for a year to evaluate its positive aspects and problems before deciding whether to continue it.

Residents cannot block the project anymore

The collective does not consider it possible to block the project anymore, as the Metropolis has given its green light, or at least authorized the city to proceed with the project under conditions. Alain Zanetti's priority is now to participate in discussions on the concrete operational conditions of the swimming area.

Reference to Paris's Saint-Martin canal issues

He cites the difficulties encountered around the Saint-Martin canal in Paris, where residents would have suffered significant disturbances. The collective wants to be involved in defining the operating conditions, security, and opening periods of the swimming area.

Project details and public consultation

The project was born during the ecological mandate of Grégory Doucet and involves a swimming area of about 1,500 square meters in the dock, between the residences and the shopping center. The site could accommodate up to 300 people. Last spring, a large consultation was launched by the City of Lyon, with 10,000 people responding and about 74% of the opinions being favorable.

Metropolis conditions and usage study

Initially, the Metropolis suggested that it opposed the project as well. The conditions from the Metropolis include limited opening to the summer period, neither in spring nor autumn, scheduled time slots, and an appropriate security and surveillance system. The collective mentions that a usage study conducted by the city showed 74% favorable opinions, but very few respondents, or none at all, live along the dock.

Preference for a test phase and limited capacity

The collective argues that the project should be a test and not made permanent from the start. They think there are other places that could accommodate swimming without being immediately near the residences. The announced capacity of 300 people is considered too high by the collective, and they think a slightly more limited capacity would be more reasonable to start with.

Concerns about capacity enforcement and past issues

They also question how to ensure that this capacity is respected and that there are no overflows on the rest of the dock. They mention the example of the Saint-Martin canal in Paris, where residents did not see the project coming and ended up in a terrible situation with unbearable noise disturbances and numerous incivilities.

Willingness to find a balanced solution

The collective wants to avoid the same situation in Lyon and is willing to find a compromise, to discuss and perhaps reach a balanced position between the two.