These are two visions of the city of Paris that clash. On the one hand, the desire to establish a new bioclimatic local urban planning plan (PLU), by the Paris town hall, which requires, among other things, the allocation of part of a building to social housing, in the event of major works . An obligation called pastillage. With the aim of reaching 40% public housing in 2035, including 30% social housing and 10% affordable housing (600 new locations will be reserved for social housing including hundreds of office buildings). On the other, elected officials from Changer Paris (Republicans, Centrists and Independents), who intend to prevent these constraints which weigh on owners from seeing the light of day.
The PLU is currently being revised and Changer Paris hopes to have its project adopted at the next Paris Council which will take place from November 19 to 22. The last revision of the PLU dates back almost 20 years since it dates from 2006. This new PLU is therefore an exceptional revision.
«Asset values will fall by 30%» in buildings affected by the social diversity easement, worries Valérie Montandon, Changer Paris advisor for the 12th arrondissement of Paris, during a press conference this Thursday. The effects of pastillage on thermal renovation will be “counterproductive“, she assures. “The risk is to freeze operations. The owners of the buildings concerned will not carry out renovation work and will block the projects. The new PLU will slow down the ecological transition», Fears Jean-Pierre Lecoq, mayor of the 6th arrondissement.
The owners of these large buildings, who are often banks, insurance companies, investment funds or even foreign investors “are not mandated by their shareholders to give up part of the value of their buildinghe says. International investors will not understand anything and will sell their buildings», Anticipates the mayor of the 6th arrondissement.
Listed buildings exempt
Among the more than 90 amendments tabled by the Changer Paris group, several relate to this much-maligned pastillage. Amendment number 7 proposes to impose the creation of social housing on any owner of an office building only for real estate operations exceeding 15,000 square meters.
For smaller projects, the constraints would be removed. Amendment number 8 proposes “to exempt buildings located in protected areas or classified as historic monuments» of this obligation to create social housing, “due to architectural and heritage constraints“. Changer Paris wishes to preserve the authenticity and charm of the city’s emblematic districts, “without imposing transformations incompatible with their historical value».
Another amendment would exempt administrative and public buildings from the obligation to integrate social housing, “in order not to impose disproportionate constraints on the public infrastructure necessary for the management of the city and the State“. Indeed, according to Valérie Montandon, pastillage adds complex rules to follow and sacrifices part of the surface area of buildings: “An office building that accommodates social housing must meet two different fire regulations and offer two distinct access points which result in a loss of surface area.».
A deficit of private housing
Another amendment suggests introducing the concept of private housing deficit zones in the PLU, targeting districts where the share of social housing exceeds 40%. In these areas, a minimum of 60% private housing must be respected to “rebalance the residential supply”. The goal is to answer “to the needs of Parisians looking for housing in neighborhoods where social housing is over-represented».
Another cause for concern. The suburban heritage, made up of small, low buildings wedged between two taller ones, “deserves to keep its identity», Explains the mayor of the 6th arrondissement who is opposed to the raising of suburban buildings. “Two thirds of the elevations currently concern suburban buildings», Regrets Anne Biraben, councilor of the 5th arrondissement of Paris. An amendment was tabled by Changer Paris in order to protect this type of building by guaranteeing that it is not threatened by elevations, for example. “We do not want an over-densified Paris», concludes David Alphand, Paris councilor for the 16th arrondissement and co-president of the Changer Paris group. To see if these amendments will be retained by the City of Paris.
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