Plans to build new structures at the foot of the Eiffel Tower have been thrown out by the Paris mayor’s office after nearly 150,000 signed a petition and countless others protested the plans.
Environmentalists also protested the decision as it would have seen 20 mature trees cut down and four new buildings which would have housed a cafe, toilets, baggage drop-offs, and shops constructed in their place, The Guardian reported.
The first deputy mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, said in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche that he said that they would not move forward with the construction.
“I am announcing that we are completely canceling any construction project at the foot of the tower, but the relandscaping is maintained,” Grégoire said.
The mayor’s office decided to save the trees in May following protests and objections from locals in Paris. However, the office shared that they will be reorganized as they look to reexamine the area around the tower.
“We are not giving in to pressure, but we would like that the project is not overshadowed by controversy. Let’s just say that we are removing some of the friction,” Grégoire said.
Now the area around the attraction will be turned over to pedestrians and “low-impact transportation,” like bus and bike lanes, instead of the roads that inhabit the area now.
The Olympic Games are slated to take place in Paris in 2024, and city officials want to get as much done as possible before then, The Washington Examiner reported.
The tower is a big tourist attraction for Paris, with over 7 million people visiting it yearly.
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