Canton Fribourg buys industrial sites again
The canton of Fribourg acquires the site of the former research institute in St. Aubin and land in Marly from the US company Elanco.
According to the State Council of the Canton of Fribourg, the canton will become the new owner of the properties - subject to the approval of the Grand Council - from May 31, 2017 at the latest. The purchase is "part of the economic development strategy and the active land policy that the government is striving for".
It concerns a research institute in St. Aubin with 277,000 sqm of land in the working zone, of which more than 150,000 sqm are not built over, existing buildings with a gross floor area of more than 25,000 sqm and 986,000 sqm of agricultural land. In addition, the canton acquires 150,000 sqm of land in the working zone of the municipality of Marly.
Purchase price: 20 million
The background is that the Elanco Group decided at the end of 2015 to abandon its research activities at the St. Aubin site and to sell the various immovable assets. On December 22, 2016, the State of Fribourg and the Elanco Group signed a sale agreement for the totality of these assets. According to the canton, the purchase price is CHF 20 million.
The site of St. Aubin would have to meet certain requirements for the protection of the buildings and there is a limited risk of soil contamination. Nevertheless, it offers a buildable area of more than 150,000 square meters, which is a rarity in the canton, according to the State Council. Moreover, the land of Marly will become interesting from the point of view of economic development when the future Marly-Matran link will be realized.
This is not the first time that the canton of Fribourg has taken over industrial sites. Last September, the State Council announced its intention to buy the site of the former Tetra Pak plant in Romont.
