French court approves Roland Garros stadium expansion

Paris, May 25: A French court once again backed a project to expand the Roland Garros stadium and facilities, the venue of the French Open.

The project sparked controversy as it affects the space dedicated to the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil, a botanical garden set within a major greenhouse complex and registered as a natural monument, reports Efe.

“The Paris administrative court of appeals dismissed the appeal submitted by associations who disagree with the expansion of the Roland Garros stadium,” the Paris city council said in a statement on Thursday.

The verdict upholds a February 2017 decision by the Paris administrative court approving the building modifications. Filing the lawsuit alongside environmental activists were the heirs of the garden’s architect, Jean Camille Formige (1845-1926).

The project, slated to cost an estimated 350 million euros ($411 million), will be resumed after months of suspension. A sponsors-zone and a 5,000-seat new stadium, among other modifications, are scheduled to be ready by 2020. IANS