The mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry (PS), on Friday warned owners who let their buildings deteriorate, explaining that three buildings evacuated at the end of November, a few days after the deadly collapse of two buildings in the city center, suffered from “major maintenance flaws».
«I want to tell the owners that you have the responsibility to keep your building in good condition and therefore to carry out the work and if this is not the case, there are procedures, because we are putting the life of other“, declared the elected socialist during a press conference to take stock of the numerous reports received by the town hall since the collapse of November 12 rue Pierre Mauroy. “Being an owner can’t be improvised, it’s not just a question of financial investment“, added the first assistant Audrey Linkenheld, in charge in particular of the ecological transition.
Owners in the know
Out of 129 reports received, the vast majority do not give rise to concern. But the situation of three buildings evacuated at the end of November rue de la Monnaie, in Old Lille, is on the other hand “excessively worrying“, with a risk of collapse, according to Ms. Aubry. Their inhabitants will have to move before heavy work, which the owners will finance. Martine Aubry lamented for these buildings of “major maintenance defects, including in cases where (the owners) were aware and for a long time».
Saturday, November 12, two small adjoining buildings had collapsed rue Pierre Mauroy, a very busy shopping street in the city center. The first building, dating from the 18th century, had been evacuated the previous night after an alert given by students. A doctor who was in the second building had been found dead in the rubble. An investigation has been opened forendangering the life of others” and “manslaughter“. On Thursday, the police called anyone who was “in the immediate vicinity of the premises and who considers himself a victim and/or wishes to file a complaintto contact her.