Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Morlaix

For more than 250 years, the Tobacco Manufacture was the economic stimulus of the city of Morlaix.  A production site abandoned at the beginning of the 2000's by Altadis (formerly Seita) and who risked making the central business district an obsolete industrial zone...

At the request of local administrative units and the State, Morlaix CCI became the purchaser of the whole site in 2001, to head the restructuring project and return the premises to the city and its inhabitants. A total investment of 2,2 million Euros for 31,000 m2 of premises, including the repurchase of the nearby company, EPA, to set up car parks there. In the wake of this, CCI obtained the Historic Monuments classification for the real-estate complex.

Restructuring drawn up by a master plan in 2002

In May, 2002, after the preliminary studies, a master plan of the restructuring project was developed and validated by the steering committee, including CCI, the city, Morlaix Communauté (an association formed by Morlaix and several villages and small towns around Morlaix), the regional Management of cultural affairs, Caisse des dépôts et consignations (a French state-owned financial group aimed at helping economical development in the regions in France), the General Council (a French administrative council aimed at managing the development of French departments), the Brittany Region, the "Land of Morlaix", State representatives, etc. It clarifies the main directions: allocation of premises, organisation of passageways and access roads, organisation planning, programming of demolition and fitting. The objective is to create a new city district, involving economic activities, flats, education and culture.  Estimated cost of the construction site that is committed: 15 million Euros. CCI completely assumes the risk of this far-reaching project.

2004 - 2008: achievements follow one another

Right away, more than 4,000 m2 are sold to set up housing or offices, in particular, the private mansion of the Manufacture director.  Major demolition work (10,000 m2 of the premises which were poorly located or in bad condition) and carrying out of networks (water, electricity, telephony, and internet) were completed.  From its part, Morlaix Communauté acquired 6,000 m2 to create an Institute of Technology there.

Between 2005 and 2008, phase after phase, CCI continues its restructuring programme.  At first, by concentrating its effort on the western part, intended to shelter an administrative development, a research and technology park and a centre for artists and creative people.  The housing development was inaugurated in December, 2007. It is also a question of saving the buildings surrounding the main courtyard, particularly with the recovery of over more than 2,000 m2 of roof destroyed by the 1995 fire: the construction site, launched in 2007 for 5.5 million Euros (in two phases), is the biggest construction site of Brittany's historic monuments. The Musée des Jacobins, next to a museum about the history of the manufacturing industry, still remains to be set up, the second Institute of Technology still remains to be established, new car parks and public accesses still remain to be built, etc.

According to the programme established, CCI should have given back the bulk of the premises to its owners and end users by 2010, and relinquished all of the public spaces (courtyards, passageways) to the city.  So, it will have provided a major access card to Morlaix for its attraction and its future development.