“We just submit to the laws and adapt”… Update on the new PLUi in West Aveyron

The local intercommunity urban planning plan was definitively adopted during a community council meeting. What is at stake?

This urban planning document will allow us to continue economic and housing development in the area. Currently, the La Glèbe and Villeneuve activity zones are full. If a new company wants to establish itself in the territory, there is no surface area. If we do not adopt this tool, we will have major planning problems.

On several occasions, during the PLUi vote, you mentioned “a least bad solution”…

Our PLUi is part of the ZAN law (zero artificialization of land), with a planned reduction, in our territory, of 25 to 30% of buildable surfaces. We just follow the laws and adapt. We are also awaiting the new national directives and possible adaptations announced by the new Prime Minister Michel Barnier. It's a question of balance to satisfy everyone and stay on the initial trajectory.

What do you say to elected officials who are concerned about the reduction in the number of buildable hectares in their municipality?

In the PLUi, we still left the capacity for each municipality to have building land. I understand the difficulties of certain local elected officials who deal directly with their citizens. In the town of Monteils, where I am mayor, the buildable surface area also goes from 19 to 1.8 hectares. We no longer build as much, there is already a slowdown in the sector. We need to do education to explain the changes to come.

That's to say ?

Territorial development must be done in grouped housing areas, around the village and the school. Operating networks will become expensive in the future. We can no longer build isolated houses in the middle of nowhere. It is also necessary to develop to preserve agricultural land. Another challenge for certain towns or villages like Villefranche and Najac is that it will be necessary to combat vacant housing and restore it before building new ones.

You also mentioned that this PLUi was perhaps not definitive?

A modification of the PLUi may take place in the coming years, according to the indications of the SCOT (Territorial coherence scheme) on which we depend. We have decided that we cannot wait and act immediately to continue the development of the territory. We will continue to adapt according to the instructions given to us.

Until November 20, residents are invited to consult and make comments on this PLUi…

We had nearly 300 individuals, so people took up this issue. We will thus bring them up and make modifications to the PLUi, at the margins, according to the problems identified by each person and local specificities. This is also the issue of this public inquiry. Then the final PLUi will be presented to state services, to be adopted, we hope, in spring 2025.