Although it had the support of the majority of the Senate, there was plenty of pressure from both environmentalists and members of the Parliament for the project to be stopped. Why? Well, as far as the tree-huggers are concerned, their main objection was based on the fact that the venue would have been built on an important farming land.
According to some politicians in the French Parliament, building another venue would have led to several jobs being cut at France's other Formula 1 circuit, Magny-Cours. According to senator Bariza Khiari, it seems that the committee in charge of giving their verdict on building the new circuit has taken into consideration that more than 400 people would lose their jobs at Magny-Cours.
The discussions between the French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and other enthusiasts of the project – due to the economic stimulus it would become for the aforementioned region – and its opponents did not lead to any conclusions. That led to the annulment of the amendment issued by the French Senate a few days ago.
A new series of discussions are to take place between the French politicians in the days to come. If the two parts agree on giving the project the go-ahead, the next step would be to find the necessary funds to actually start the building of the circuit. As announced by the French senators, “if the construction and organization is conducted in a timely manner, it is possible that a grand prix can be held in France from 2011.”
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