Saudi-backed amusement parks near Paris spark local concerns

In late August, President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman officially announced plans for three amusement parks on the outskirts of Paris, backed by €6 billion in Saudi investment and expected to create 22,000 jobs.

The megaproject has generated economic optimism alongside concerns over its potential impact on the environment, housing and transportation in Val-d’Oise.

The development would be built on the site of a former amusement park dedicated to French fairy tales and legends, which closed in 1991 and has remained abandoned ever since. The surrounding area is home to about 220,000 people. However, while few details about the new project have been disclosed, speculation has already begun to divide local residents over the potential benefits and consequences of the investment as highlighted in a feature article by French Le Monde.

The primary source of tension is the lack of consultation. Residents said they learned about the project through media reports and told reporters they felt overlooked and angry.

Curdimanche's left-wing independent mayor, Sophie Matharan, told the outlet that she sees the project as "an opportunity for the metropolitan area, the department and even the country, but it would mean upheaval for our city."

Gesturing from the picture windows of her office, Matharan pointed to the large green spaces of her town of 7,300 residents, located on the edge of the Vexin regional natural park. "Nature is in our DNA. We will do everything to preserve our quality of life," she insisted.

According to the article, fears of a "devastated" environment, as well as increased noise, pollution and road traffic, dominate local discussions. Many residents have raised concerns about artificial development of the land. The three planned sites would cover about 200 hectares, according to Jeandon, compared with roughly 50 hectares occupied by the former park. Surrounding agricultural fields could consequently be partly sacrificed.

Outside the agglomeration headquarters at the Cergy-Préfecture RER station, a commercial advertisement is already promoting the future amusement parks.

Jean-Paul Jeandon, president of the Cergy-Pontoise intermunicipal authority, which includes Courdimanche, and Socialist mayor of Cergy, highlighted the expected economic benefits: several million visitors each year, tens of millions of euros in tax revenue, new hotels and shops and, above all, jobs.

The prospect is particularly attractive in an urban area where half the population is under the age of 30. Responding to concerns that the jobs could be unstable or fail to benefit local residents, Jeandon pointed to plans for training programs in hospitality and catering at the University of Cergy.

The project would extend beyond leisure facilities. Between 6,000 and 10,000 housing units could also be built, although the final figure remains under discussion, Jeandon said.

That has raised another question: who will live in the new homes? Residents have expressed fears that rents and the broader cost of living could rise, potentially accelerating gentrification.

Real estate speculation has already begun before construction has started. In Cergy, the L'Adresse agency registered 90 new clients in a single week.

"Investors are looking to buy studio apartments, one and two-room apartments, to start with traditional rentals and then switch to Airbnb, once the parks are up and running," said Camille Colse, the agency manager.

Getting millions of visitors there

As the piece points out, another major uncertainty is how the expected millions of tourists will reach the site.

The A15 highway, which runs alongside the former Mirapolis site, is already congested. The RER A commuter train is considered neither frequent nor reliable enough, while the walk from the Cergy-le-Haut terminus to the current entrance to the site takes nearly 15 minutes.

Local authorities have discussed several possible solutions, including increasing train frequency, creating a new bus line, extending the tram network or introducing a shuttle service from Charles-de-Gaulle Airport.

"They've left us to struggle for years and now want us to believe that this project, which came out of nowhere, will change everything. What hypocrisy!" said Daisy Yaïch, an opposition councillor from the radical-left La France Insoumise party in the local authority.

By Nazrin Sadigova