Lausanne set for metamorphosis
A huge urban development project in Lausanne was given the green light by voters on Sunday.
Under the plan, known as Métamorphose, the area of the old Pontaise football stadium to the north of the city will be cleared and replaced by a residential area for 6,000 inhabitants, with eco-housing, a park and all local amenities.
The new district will be connected to the centre of town by tram.
It is planned to build new sports facilities on the lakeside in the south of the city, including a football stadium and Olympic sized swimming pool.
The plan is designed to help combat the city’s serious housing shortage and the predicted explosion of its population by 2020.
The general blueprint for Métamorphose was approved by the city authorities in 2007, but some residents of the Pontaise area along with heritage campaigners and architects objected, which is why the matter was put to a local vote.
The plan was approved by nearly 56 per cent of those who took part in Sunday’s vote.
swissinfo.ch and agencies
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