A French court has made a speedy decision to reverse an order which threatened to close down Interxion’s PAR7 data center in La Courneuve, Paris after complaints from residents.
Early in October, the Administrative Court of the Parisian suburb of Montreuil withdrew Interxion’s license to operate the €132m data center in La Courneuve, cancelling the planning permission which had allowed the data center to operate since 2012. Now a fresh decision has authorized Interxion to continue operations, dismissing claims by residents’ group, the Urbaxion ’93 Association, that the facility posed an environmental threat due to noise,
Noise hearing
Interxion said this week’s decision, after months of protest from the residents’ group, vindicates its environmental record. Noise assessments from 2014 showed the data center was within authorized limits, and in line with the impact assessments carried out before it was built.
After a complaint by Urbaction ’93, the administrative court of Montreuil held a hearing in early October, which annulled the original operating permit issued on 13 December 2013.
Interxion applied to have this decision changed and, on 29 October 2015, the court authorized the continuation of operations at the data center, based on the assessment of the Public Inspection Body that there is ‘no serious threat to the environment or to safety.’
As a result of this order, Interxion filed an application on Monday, 2 November 2015, to renew the PAR7 data operating permit.
A statement from Interxion said: “Since the establishment of the PAR7 data center in La Courneuve, its inauguration in 2012 and the commencement of its full operations in 2013, Interxion has always operated its facility in absolute compliance with the highest environmental and safety standards. Interxion points out that the noise impact assessment, carried out on its own initiative in September 2014, confirmed the company’s compliance with the authorized thresholds and the obligations contained in the Environmental Code. Furthermore, these results are consistent with an impact assessment carried out in 2011, and reflect Interxion’s ongoing concern for the welfare of both the local population in the surrounding area and of its employees.”
Interxion maintains that PAR7 is a significant contributor in driving economic growth for the entire La Courneuve community, as well as for the wider Seine-Saint-Denis region. An Interxion spokesperson said: ”Its presence and capabilities provide critical infrastructure for Interxion group’s clients (from start-ups to multinational companies) as well as generating significant economic development through the relationships with suppliers, subcontractors and employees contributing to the operations of the data center. Continuing to operate PAR7 allows us to meet the growing needs of our clients, whether in the public or private sector, and to address the increasing demand for digital infrastructures in France, both for business and individual use”.