Rodez (Aveyron). On the ground, workers have been working at the Episcopal Palace of Rodez for several months. And behind the scenes, it is the amount of this rehabilitation project that fuels the discussions. During the meeting of the departmental council held on June 26, devoted to updating the multi-year investment plan 2022-2028, tension crystallized around the envelope allocated to financing the work on the future “Palais”. Announced at 15 million euros including tax in 2022, then revalued at 21 million excluding tax when the project was launched last April, the operation is now estimated at 30 million euros including tax. A doubling of the cost in the space of a few months which did not fail to question several elected officials, who indicated that they had never received a provisional financing plan. “Figures that seem uncontrolled”, comments Sylvain Couffignal, “a budgetary drift”adds Serge Julien who comes to question the executive: “Are we experiencing inflation in construction costs? Is there any work that was not initially planned? Was the project underestimated? ».
If the president of the Department, Arnaud Viala, did not further detail the reasons for this increase, he nevertheless recognizes a lack of visibility at the start of the project. “I fully assume that when we started the operation, we did not have the means to certify the final landing”he said, before adding: “We are on the landing this time, with a total cost that is clearly displayed. » Behind this investment, one of the flagship projects of the Department – owner of the site – is taking shape. After the failure of the project to transform it into a five-star hotel, led by businessman Mathias Échène, the Episcopal Palace has been closed for more than eight years awaiting extensive renovation. “ It is a gem, a historic place that deserves rehabilitation. However, this building has its constraints, linked to its classification, its proximity to the cathedral, its very structure”explains municipal councilor Arnaud Combet, believing that it is impossible to “rehabilitate this building without committing significant sums”. In fact, the Episcopal Palace extends over 3,600 m², to which is added 6,000 m² of garden. Above all, “it houses several architectural gems”recalls the Heritage Foundation, citing the Corbières tower, the Estaing tower, the old ramparts adjoining the palace, its entrance portal and its paintings which adorn the ceiling of the large reception room.
A “tourist showcase of the territory”
Masonry work, redoing of floors, framework, roofing, exterior and interior joinery, restoration of paintings, etc.: the structural work, carried out under the project management of the Goutal Agency, is precisely defined and now well underway. But the contours of the future Palace are still difficult to define. Scheduled to open in spring 2028, the Palais aims to be a “tourist showcase of the territory”. When he revealed the sketches of the project, Arnaud Viala reaffirmed his ambitions to “preserve this emblematic place”of “open it as widely as possible to the public” and make it a site “ which highlights the assets of Aveyron in its history, in its heritage, in its present.”Ultimately, the site would become a shared space. On the one hand, it will host a program with shows, workshops, conferences and exhibitions. The Corbière tower will be dedicated to the history of the Department while an “Aveyron” space will highlight the territory, both the major tourist sites and the heritage, local gastronomy, artisanal know-how… And on the other, an entire privatizable part will be reserved for companies and associations. “The challenge is not to make this place an institutional place. On the contrary, the Department wants it to be accessible to other types of actors,” insists the community.
A position which questions departmental councilor Serge Julien. “The principle of preserving this heritage, rehabilitating it, making it accessible, I am entirely in favor of it and most of my colleagues are as well, he reminds Journal of the Arts. But for this project to be understood, it must be explained. There are many questions regarding the purpose of the site. The presentation given to us is relatively succinct, it is difficult to understand the final objective of this place once it will be open to the public. »
