The prefect of the Rhône announced her intention to deprive the most recalcitrant municipalities of their town planning powers in terms of social housing.
Wind of panic in several town halls in the Rhône… The prefect announced, at the beginning of October, her intention to withdraw the issuance of building permits to mayors who do not build enough social housing.
This is a real blow to the town halls concerned, as building permits represent a central tool in their political action. Fabienne Buccio, prefect of Rhône, announced, during an exchange with journalists on October 9, her intention to deprive municipalities that do not respect the law of their town planning powers. It is therefore the State, and no longer the town halls, which would grant building permits, imposing the construction of social housing. “This competence is delegated by the State to the municipalities and the State can therefore decide to take it back if it considers that this or that city does not respect the law and therefore the general interest.explained the prefect to journalists, evoking her wish to “make an example”. In the viewfinder, town halls which have not respected the SRU law for years.
This law requires municipalities to build 20 to 25% social housing in their real estate programs, depending on their size and location. But some town halls only display rates of less than 5% of their real estate portfolio, and have always preferred “paying fines, rather than respecting the law”, says the prefect. For the moment, the prefecture refuses to communicate more details and to designate the municipalities concerned. But eyes naturally turn towards the West of Lyon, according to our colleagues from Progress. LThe municipalities which paid the most penalties for non-compliance with the SRU law in 2019 were Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d’Or, Tassin-la-Demi-Lune, Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, Charbonnières-les-Bains, Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Chassieu, Corbas, or even Caluire-et-Cuire. Mions sets the record with a penalty of €46 per inhabitant per year. While it is in Charly that we find the lowest rate of social housing, at only 4.29% of the real estate stock.
State services have suggested that they will sanction municipalities with the lowest rates of social housing. The town of Charly therefore seems to be on the front line. Its mayor, Olivier Araujo (LR), nevertheless defends a dynamic of “catch-up” underway in his municipality. In the programs of the last four years, the municipality has almost tripled its number of social housing units. The elected official adds that he is creating more social housing than provided for by law in current programs. He takes us in front of a building under construction in the city center: “here we plan for 50% social housing, there are more than 30 apartments, we are at the maximum possible”, he pleads. But its room for maneuver is limited: “today in Charly there is no land. (…) We also lack public facilities, schools, nurseries, parking lots… We don’t have the space to build! We are responsible elected officials. I don’t understand this media outing from the prefect”.
Before a future official communication from the prefecture, discussions are planned between its services and the elected officials concerned in the coming days. A slim hope for mayors of escaping the ax.
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