In Narbonne (Aude), the notion of heritage in danger takes on its full meaning. Among the emblematic sites of the city, the rue du Pont-des-Marchands figures prominently. This axis which crosses the Robine canal is in fact one of the only and oldest inhabited bridges to remain in France, with its origins dating back to the Roman era. Landerneau, in Finistère, has the Rohan bridge dating from the Middle Ages while the best-known examples are to be found in Italy such as the Rialto in Venice or the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
But in the case of Narbonne, the dilapidated state of some buildings resting on the bridge is a cause for concern. At the end of April 2023, the street crossing the watercourse was closed to traffic until the beginning of December. An operation that did not prove sufficient and it will therefore be necessary to resort to major means as revealed The Independent The city of Narbonne, supported by state services, thus plans to acquire 7 buildings (4 on the even side of the street, 3 on the odd side) located on the central part of the bridge, in a situation of“absolute emergency”the rest of the street being classified as “major emergency”. The owners were notified of this project at the end of August and the municipality has declared itself ready to go as far as expropriation, in the event of refusal of a private sale, knowing that the objective is to regain control of these constructions by next July.
A program estimated at between 20 and 25 million euros
The city, given the deterioration of the buildings, has already had to rehouse some tenants and undertake 1.2 million euros of emergency work for initial security and the reopening of access to the bridge to pedestrians. This is only the beginning, because according to local media, the cost of the acquisition-requalification program for this rue du Pont-des-Marchands is currently estimated at between 20 and 25 million euros. Apart from the central portion, 19 other buildings would also be affected by this operation.
Their owners will be supported technically and financially and will then have to carry out this work, “due to the adjoining walls and sometimes even the overlapping of certain buildings”, as confided to theIndependent the mayor of Narbonne, Bertrand Malquier. Here too, owners who cannot pay the bill, which must be calculated by the end of 2025, could be forced to sell their building.
In this set of very intertwined constructions, the objective is to preserve a “femoral artery” of the city by maintaining its tourist appeal, its economic role and by recreating housing. Indeed, 30% of habitable housing is currently vacant, in light of the 23 danger orders that have been issued on the 27 plots of land on the street since 2013. Ultimately, the stated objective of the public authorities is to retain these properties in order to control the supply of housing and commercial premises in a strategic sector. Given the importance of the mission, a Declaration of Public Utility must be opened in September to allow hope of securing significant State funding, up to 70 or even 80% of the amounts in order to launch real estate acquisitions as quickly as possible.
