2007 Reference Document for Groupe Eurotunnel SA PDF file size

6. DESCRIPTION OF EUROTUNNEL GROUP’S ACTIVITIESEurotunnel Group’s strategy is to offer travellers who choose to stop before continuing their journey a choice andlevel of services consistent with the overall quality and value of the service that Eurotunnel Group itself offers. As partof this strategy, Eurotunnel Group modernised and refurbished some of the retail facilities in 2007.b) Property activitiesEurotunnel Group owns and manages plots of land near its French and British terminals.As an extension of its mission to design, build and operate the Fixed Link, FM was also given responsibilities for landdevelopment. The Fixed Link is not only an element of transport infrastructure; it was also conceived as a foundationfor the economic development of the Kent and Calais regions.On the French side, the proceedings to obtain ownership and control of the required land were conducted jointly forthe plots intended for use in constructing the Fixed Link and for the plots intended for activities of secondaryimportance in support of the main purpose.With the exception of the land that already belonged to the French State, the relevant land was acquired under adeclaration of public utility dated 6 May 1987. The cross-Channel terminal development zone (ZAC) was establishedby an order of the Préfet dated 21 February 1990.The ZAC has focused on developing shopping centres, hotels, a business park and recreational facilities. Sinceits creation, it has achieved the following results.285,000 m 2 of land has been sold, equivalent to 58% of the ZAC’s total landholdings;118,000 m 2 of land, representing 24% of ZAC’s total landholdings, is under construction; and89,000 m 2 of land has not yet been allocated, representing 18% of the total.In 2002 FM initiated a policy of regularising ownership of the landholdings. This has enabled it to gainunencumbered title to land previously acquired by FM in the name and on behalf of the French State (47 hectares ofland strategically situated alongside the A16 and 35 hectares in the municipality of Sangatte-Blériot Plage).The transfer of the Sangatte plots has made it possible for Eurotunnel Group to restore the site of the former foundrywhere the tunnel lining segments were built, and which was later used as a shelter for asylum seekers (‘‘Red CrossCentre’’). As part of Eurotunnel Group’s sustainable development programme, it was decided that:the lining segments factory would be demolished, the concrete foundations broken up and the site restored toits natural state;an environmentally friendly approach would be adopted in respect of Eurotunnel Group’s development andconstruction initiatives, the implementation of which would result in certain environmental advantages. Thisapproach would be implemented by choosing development and construction partners to fit the environmentalimprovement criteria specified by Eurotunnel Group.a vast commercial and tourist project would be developed to stand alongside the Cité de l’Europe shoppingcentre in Coquelles (see chapter 12 of this Reference Document). The local groups in the Nord Pas-de-Calaisregion aim to make the Opal Coast the preparation ground for Olympic teams participating in the London 2012Olympic Games. The development plans initiated by TNU for the Sangatte district, particularly concerningtourist accommodation, may tie in with this aim.The transfer of 47 hectares of land located in the Calais district, bordered by the A16, will allow plans for sustainabledevelopment projects, such as the Cité de l’Habitat, which will cover 15 hectares and be a showcase for newconstruction techniques.6.2 Eurotunnel Group’s Main MarketsEurotunnel Group operates in the surface transport market between continental Europe and the United Kingdom.Eurotunnel Group offers both (i) a service that it operates itself between Calais and Folkestone, and which competes27