One Street: Place Cabrié

After some dithering, I've decided to join Kendall's One Street Project with Place Cabrié, in Lézignan. I chose it because it is due to change radically over the next couple of years; the town council has plans to completely redevelop this area.

So this is a "setting the scene" blip. I've cheated a little bit and photographed just a corner of the square, where the rue du Château joins it, because I feel this conveys best the state of the centre of Lézignan. A general view of the square would have been a general view of a car park.

This is the oldest part of Lézignan, within the (now demolished) town walls. There was a castle in the Middle Ages (belonging to Guy de Montfort, brother of the more famous Simon), hence the name of the street, but it no longer exists. The parish church is a couple of hundred metres off to the left of the photo. The square is actually a relatively recent feature; less than 40 years ago it was an area of narrow streets with small, close-packed houses like the ones in this photo. Over the years, the council bought these and knocked them down, creating the car park we know and love today.

The strange thing is that despite appearances, Lézignan is a thriving town -- the population increased by 20% between 1999 and 2008 (now about 10,000). But this prosperity is not reflected in the town centre. The council has been very successfully attracting businesses to industrial estates and commercial centres out of town; our drive into Lézignan now passes a long succession of slab-sided metal sheds where once there were vines. Meanwhile the town centre is dying on its feet. There are probably a dozen empty shops; businesses flicker briefly into life in some of them and then fizzle out a few months later, because everyone is shopping at the out-of-town supermarkets where they can park outside the door. Even long-established businesses can't find takers when the owners eventually decide to retire, so they close down too. Thank goodness for the bustling Wednesday market.

Anyway, it turns out that this impression of neglect is not entirely accurate. For 20 years or more the council has been gradually buying houses in this area as they become vacant. In fact the mustard-coloured house on the right belongs to the council -- it was restored last year using traditional materials and methods by a group of young people on work experience. The plans for most of the other houses are more radical though; most of them will be demolished, and Place Cabrié will become what French planners like to call an espace de vie -- with shops and cafes, housing, and a large open-sided "covered market" for events in the summer. Work is supposed to start this spring. Don't hold your breath.

Today is Sub Sunday, and I would like to draw your attention to Lajka . I only came across her a few days ago when I was randomly looking at blips. I don't think she comments much on other journals, and she doesn't have many subscribers or views. Her unique vision is definitely worth a look.