In Eure, these municipalities are committed, without really having a choice, to creating more social housing

A “very happy” prefect and mayors who put on a good show. Thursday January 9, 2025, the mayors of Grand Bourgtheroulde and Bosroumois (Eure) had a meeting with the prefect of Eure, Charles Giusti, to sign the “ social diversity contract “. This famous contract commits them to comply with the legal obligation which requires them to have, in their communities, 20% social housing.

Indeed, the solidarity and urban renewal law (SRU) requires municipalities with more than 3,500 inhabitants to have at least 20% social housing. At the start of 2025, Bosroumois only has 6.8% of this type of housing, compared to 12.82% for Grand Bourgtheroulde. This represents 127 housing units missing in Grand Bourgtheroulde, and 210 in Bosroumois.

Faced with this legal obligation, the mayors were initially overwhelmed. At the end of 2023, the municipal council of Philippe Vanheule rejected the State's proposal to sign the contract. The town hall had even sent a letter to the prefect at the time to explain its disagreement. “The municipality no longer has land reserves for building. In addition, the infrastructure would be insufficient. It's all too fast ! », the mayor was indignant.

A sword of Damocles on the accounts

But a big year later, the speech has changed. This Thursday, January 9, Philippe Vanheule and Christophe Deschamps signed the contract without flinching, admitting, half-heartedly, not having a choice. « On me a fine of almost €29,000 in 2024. If we show bad will, it could be multiplied by five and, in the long term, the prefecture could take over urban planning competence from the municipality,” explains the mayor of Bosroumois. A sword of Damocles on their accounts which the councilors do not want.

By the end of 2025, they must prove to the State that construction is underway. ” It is a real upheaval for the townI am counting on you to support us,” addresses Philippe Vanheule to the prefect and the general director of the Establishment Public Foncier de Normandie, Gilles Gal, who helps communities acquire land to create social housing.

Bad image of social housing

In truth, mayors mainly fear the opinion of residents on social housing. In Grand Bourgtheroulde, the construction project for 35 housing units, chemin Vautier, has been in progress since 2022, after the appeal of several local residents.

“The image of social housing is out of step with reality. It must be realized that 70% of the French population corresponds to the attribution criteria housing of this type,” explains departmental councilor Diane Leseigneur. For Charles Giusti, it is not a question of creating “relegation districts”, but rather ofprovide housing for families, young adults and retirees.

The ambivalence of the law

One of the arguments against this obligation was its inconsistency with the “Climate and resilience” law of 2021 which wants “zero net artificialization” (ZAN) by 2050. The objective of the law is to limit the consumption of natural spaces, including agricultural land. However, we know that both Bosroumois and Grand Bourgtheroulde are highly coveted by manufacturers.

“As soon as there is land for sale, regardless of its price, it goes in no time,” says Philippe Vanheule. Here too, the prefect wants to be reassuring: “The climate law means committing to slowing down construction, by stopping it. » “And producing social housing is not always building,” adds Diane Leseigneur. The Department provides “land engineering”, studying municipalities to see if existing buildings can be rehabilitated and transformed into social housing. But, for the two municipalities, most of the housing will indeed have to be built.

“Being able to house young people, families, seniors”

For the two mayors, having more social housing does not only represent disadvantages since these homes, for rent, would be beneficial for a whole part of the populationn. “We have a lot of big houses, which young couples cannot buy, and where elders cannot stay when they get older. Having T2, T3, T4 means being able to accommodate young people, families, and seniors. »

Where will the future social housing be?

In Bosroumois, the construction of social housing began in 1978. The majority of housing was then built in the 1980s. Since then, the pace of construction has continued to decline. The last constructions date from 2002. There are, in total, 107. In December 2023, the file of the National System for recording applications for social rental housing (SNE) listed 67 requests of social housing in the municipality. The applicants are mainly retirees and single-parent families. Elderly people who can no longer maintain their property or pay the costs of adapting their housing mainly request T2 apartments. The same goes for people who find themselves alone following a separation.

37 housing units to be built this year in Bosroumois

For a year, the municipality, with the services of the Department, has been working to define locations future social housing. Rue des Agapanthesin the FEI subdivision, 11 housing units have already been built and are inhabited. 37 housing units will followthe building permit was granted in July 2024. It is the social landlord Siloge which builds and manages the rentals. “These are F2, F3 and F4 apartments,” specifies Philippe Vanheule. By the end of 2025, with these constructions, only 4 social housing units will be missing to the municipality to escape the fine next year, but it remains to be defined where they will be created, just like the 175 housing units that will remain to be produced in the years to come.

The municipality wishes to create a senior residence “with 17 housing units” in place of the former PMI (Maternal and Child Protection), on municipal property. The municipality will initiate a land prospective process to identify vacant properties or those which could be of interest due to their location. Several projects are planned at this stage: the space behind the PMI; the land adjoining the Bosc-Roger-en-Roumois cemetery; the property on rue du Diguet; the former Le Gaillard property; the old Faucomprez property; the Baudriboc property; the Vielle property; the Huard property.

The mayor assures him: “Apart from social housing, we are not providing land for construction in the town, in the next local town planning plan”.

Legal proceedings in progress

Grand Bourgtheroulde has always allowed the construction of social rental housing. Before the 2016 merger, Bourgtheroulde-Infreville was “ 18% social housing », recalls the mayor. The construction of social housing began in 1986. Since then, the pace of

construction increased gradually from 24 to 46 housing units every 10 years. The latest construction dates from 2019. There are, in all, 226. In December 2022, 126 requests social housing were made in Grand Bourgtheroulde. Here too, the applicants are mainly retirees and single-parent families.

Currently, two projects are underway. That of Chemin Vautier : 19 collective housing units and 16 individual housing units, currently still in legal proceedings. “The municipality won in the first instance, but the residents appealed. It's in progress, justice will decide », specifies Christophe Deschamps.

Rue du Bosnormandthe real estate developer Altarea wishes to build 53 accommodationsbut the two building permits submitted were refused “for sanitation and runoff problems,” specifies the mayor. A new permit has just been submitted and is currently being processed.

If one of the two projects is successful by the end of 2025, the municipality will escape the state fine, but it will still remain around a hundred housing units to be created in the future. The city is considering the development of the old wasteland which would provide around thirty additional housing units. “We need to study our existing land and rehabilitate it. We want social housing dispersed throughout the municipality, not a large deployment,” says the mayor.

In six months, the steering committee will have to meet and comment on the state of progress of the municipalities on the question. It could also initiate the development of a new social diversity contract for the following three-year period (2026-2028).

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