A 15,000 m2 area in the Paper Mill is (almost) ready for a new life

The asbestos is no longer there, the weeds (which, in many cases, had become genuine plants) have been uprooted, and the most dangerous parts have been made safe. This is the first 15,000 m² of the Mayer Paper Mill in Cairate, which represents the first phase of work, which on Sunday, 8 May, was opened again for a few hours.

The occasion was the visit by the leader of the Northern League, Matteo Salvini, for the election campaign of Mayor, Paolo Mazzucchelli, who decided to invite Salvini to visit the 500,000 m² area, which had been left abandoned for 40 years. This is the first phase of an ambitious project that, in a few months’ time, should see the first fruits in the southernmost part, with an area allocated to concerts and a film club.

 

“We’ve carried out the first phase of work,” Marcello Pedroni, of Prealpi Servizi, the company that owns the area, explained, “removing the first asbestos roofing and making what is still there safe.”

It has been no mean feat, considering that asbestos is estimated to cover an area of 40,000 m², and that its removal will cost €1.5 million. Fortunately, however, other news in the last few weeks has brought some relief, especially concerning the improvements. Pedroni continued, “The result of tests have shown that the area as a whole is not polluted, except for some specific parts, where the presence of hydrocarbons, and the dumping of inert materials have been discovered.”

However, everything is now in a state of limbo, as we await the outcome of the election and, above all, because of the variation of the Territorial Zoning Plan. The area is currently classified as a future green area, and before investing resources in restoring it, Prealpi Servizi is waiting for it to be reclassified by the Territorial Zoning Plan. “We can’t spend money with the risk of then having to demolish everything,” Pedroni went on, “also because making this land fertile again would be extremely expensive.” In any case, they are very confident. “If there are no hitches, we might already see the first events next autumn.”