Construction of the new play area at Les Halles is underway. Unfortunately, as cool as it may look, it’s a sad compromise for the grand renovations of the entire Forum des Halles that the Maire de Paris has been promising (including the Metro/RER hub, the shopping areas, and the already existing play area, Jardin Lalanne, which just needed to be renovated, not replaced).
The Place Cassin (the large circular area with Caesar’s Head statue next to St-Eustache) is going to be severely modified, as well. Read the rant by the mayor of the 1st arrondissement and the local residents’ association Accomplir (both in French). A suivre...
I agree that it's a dissapointing compromise. However, the great thing about Paris is that there is something spectacular just down the road to take your mind of it.