State services were keen to respond to recent comments from local elected officials in Villefranchois on the sensitive subject of travelers.
After local residents and local elected officials, it is the State which is positioning itself on the high-traffic area project. Following our articles on this issue, the prefecture wanted to react to the comments made by the territory's elected officials.
As a reminder, on November 14, Ouest Aveyron Community voted favorably to adopt the departmental reception and housing plan for travelers from Aveyron 2024-2029, providing for a high-traffic area for the district of Villefranche -de-Rouergue, the third in Aveyron, after Rodez and Millau.
“The State requires us to make investments in tools that are useless, especially given the general economic context,” declared Michel Delpech, the president of the intercommunality, to explain this vote, which was not done with enthusiasm by the elected officials.
“Dialogue and listening”
“The creation of a high-traffic area by municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants meets a legal obligation set by law […] relating to the reception and housing of Travelers. This obligation was transferred to the intermunicipal association of these municipalities by law […] bearing new territorial organization of the Republic”commented the Aveyron prefecture yesterday morning. “The local State ensures its mission of implementing the law responsibly, while remaining in dialogue and listening with the local authorities concerned”.
“The departmental plan for the reception and accommodation of Travelers gave rise to a consultation of the communities of municipalities and the Departmental Travelers Commission. The latter issued a favorable opinion”add the prefectural services.
A popular petition
Identified at the entrance to the town, next to the former Calvet company, the land was reduced to 1.2 ha instead of 4 ha, to accommodate this area. For the moment, the project is conditional, according to elected officials from Ouest Aveyron Communauté, on the support of all the intercommunal authorities in the sector.
For their part, residents of the Souyri farmhouse, near the identified location, launched a petition. “We have received a lot of feedback, almost 10 sheets have been signed”says an organizer of the protest. “People are unanimously against this project. We have even had feedback from residents of surrounding communities, Martiel or Savignac. There is a real outcry.”
