this consultation concerns the realization of a project management mission for asbestos removal and deconstruction work at the Meryl Fiber Plant, a former artificial or synthetic fiber production site located in Saint-Laurent Blangy, on the banks of the Scarpe. The site of a land right-of-way of approximately 20 hectares comprises 13 hectares of production buildings with a built right-of-way of 50,000 square metres.

A company specializing in the manufacture of synthetic fibers, the Meryl Fiber plant is located in Saint-Laurent Blangy on the banks of the Scarpe. After a shutdown in 2012, the plant did not find a buyer and is now abandoned. The deconstruction of buildings is a preliminary step to its conversion (i.e. into a renatured space to expand the green and blue community fabric of the Val de Scarpe which goes from Arras to Fampoux and which offers the inhabitants of the urban community of Arras easily accessible natural and recreational spaces, or in space that can accommodate a photovoltaic project).

In this context, the Urban Community of Arras requested the intervention of the EPF for the acquisition of land and the deconstruction of buildings.

Currently, the site is composed (see aerial views below):

-A guard post at the entrance of the site,

-two main production buildings named Nylstar/Rhotex and Lamato. These buildings include basements. They are highly degraded in some areas with the presence of asbestos-containing materials,

-a boiler room building comprising several oil, gas and mixed boilers,

-a fire room,

-a heat transfer fluid storage building,

-a chemical storage building,

-several external tanks, some of which have contained light fuel oil and heavy fuel oil. The aerial tanks depicted on the aerial view along the Avenue de l'Hermitage are no longer present,

-A waste park,

-an electrical substation,

-a pumping station including a technical duct along the Scarpe and connecting the pumping station with the site,

-parking,

-a set of roads, railways and outdoor spaces.

The site currently has extremely degraded areas with the presence of asbestos-containing materials. These degradations follow the dismantling of industrial processes during the judicial liquidation in 2015 and 2016, acts of vandalism for the recovery of metals and fires in certain areas of the site.

Meryl fiber installations were subject to authorisation under the regulations on Classified Installations for Environmental Protection. The activity of the site was authorized by prefectural decree on April 8, 1964. This order was issued for Norsyntex. Since that date, the site has always been regulated by prefectural decree. The last order in force dates from December 7, 2009 for meryl fiber activities.