By Luca Matteucci
The construction of the 10-flat Grand Chêne de Saint-Maur residence has been put on halt. September 14, 2023. Sciences Po/Luca Matteucci
One of the disputed real estate developments, “Le Grand Chêne de Saint-Maur”, was named after a centuries-old oak tree whose roots are already being crushed by the groundwork for a 10-flat residence. The project is currently on standby as the property developer is set to face a trial in the coming months.
“The oak is irreplaceable because it stands as a witness to history,” said Philippe Vergez, president of Dejaenat 94, the local nature conservation association who brought the case before the courts.
“But for biodiversity, it's also enormous. The tree is part of a whole environment where birds circulate, land, and eat. When I say it's a monument, I also mean it's a heritage of biodiversity,” he added.
Dejaenat 94 has been joined by other plaintiffs: the regional Order of Architects and a shop owner whose business has been affected by a construction based on a falsified building authorisation.
Philippe Vergez, president of a local nature conservation association, stands in front of the multi centennial oak. September 14, 2023. Sciences Po/Luca Matteucci
The case came into the open after the citizen group, who was already fighting for the oak’s preservation, received an anonymous letter saying that architect Jean-Claude Richard had passed away in 2017.
Following their lawyer’s advice, the association started digging and realised that the dead architect had greenlighted nine housing projects – in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, but also in nearby communes Ormesson and Chennevières – between 2017 and 2021 – after his death. All of them undertaken by the same promoter, Joaquim Dos Santos.
The promoter has pleaded guilty before Créteil's administrative court and could face up to a seven-year jail sentence and a €100,000 fine. He declined to comment on the “ghost architect” case, but said it was never his intention to “touch the tree.”
Dos Santos insisted on the fact that he is still the owner of the parcel containing the monumental oak, and laments not having been contacted when the tree received the "Coup de Coeur - most beautiful tree 2022 in Ile-de-France" prize - awarded by the green spaces agency of the Paris region.
The justice will soon decide whether the Grand Chêne project goes ahead or not. Meanwhile, the oak tree makes sure that locals don’t forget it.
The majestic tree seen from below. September 14, 2023. Sciences Po/Luca Matteucci.
“We’ve noticed cracks in the brick wall separating our property and the oak parcel,” said the young neighbour whose house gets shade from the centennial tree.
“Maybe the tree’s roots are trying to tell us something.”
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