“Water, fire regulations, recourse… Building is an obstacle course, but we will not solve the housing problem without building,” warns Arnaud Dunoyé, vice-president of the Federation of Building Promoters. Building the city on top of the city is good, but the population still needs to agree. Without acceptability on their part, projects can be blocked for months or even years. »
Jean-René Etchegaray confirms this trend. And the president of the Basque Country Agglomeration added that “it is becoming just as difficult for politics”: “Densifying will not be enough. We must build on new spaces. » And the councilor draws up this terrifying observation for local economic dynamism: “80% of the production of housing in our territory is not aimed at the inhabitants of the Basque Country. »
This is why the mayor of Bayonne does not intend to hesitate to disappoint people if it is necessary to pre-empt, or even expropriate to build the city of tomorrow: “This is the condition for creating social housing. » It remains to find buyers, because “in addition to a supply crisis”, there is today “a demand crisis particularly linked to bank rates”, says Arnaud Dunoyé. And who says crisis says vicious circle: “At Bouygues Immobilier, for example (of which he is director of the Basque Coast – Landes sector, Editor's note), there was a voluntary departure plan. »
Various tools
“It’s the whole chain that suffers,” he insists. Architects, builders, craftsmen, design offices, etc. » It must be said that new construction has been “more than halved” in the area. “It is important that this crisis does not last too long,” hopes Cyril Cury, the institutional director of Arkea bank. Until then, he maintains that we must “adapt to the market and its developments”. Arkea has notably financed ten real and joint lease operations (1) over the past five years.
From BRS to rent control (effective in the Basque Country from November 25, on an experimental basis), including the zero-interest loan, the Echaniz-Le Meur law or the local compensation regulation (2), Jean- René Etchegaray thinks that the addition of tools is essential: “Housing policy cannot take a break. »And the mayor of Bayonne savored the first effects of the compensation.
“Returned to the market”
“From 2016 to 2020, we recorded a 160% increase in furnished tourist accommodation. Our compensation settlement, considered too drastic, put a stop to this hemorrhage. We will see the full effects on March 1, 2026. But already, 250 to 300 housing units have been put back on the market, using the mixed lease method (3). »
Jean-René Etchegaray recalls that the share of average income devoted to housing generally reaches 30 to 32%, “while here it is almost 40%”.
(1) The BRS dissociates the walls and the ground. The land is rented to a solidarity land organization by the buyer, at a low price and over a long period. Only the cost of the building is assumed, to reduce the investment.
(2) It consists of “compensating” for furnished tourist accommodation by transforming premises not intended for residential use into accommodation (office, business).
(3) Nine months rental to students, three months to tourists.
