Long considered a very bad student in terms of social housing, and pet peeve of real estate developers for refusing more than 70% of building permit applications on its territory, the town of Caluire-et-Cuire, west of Lyon, has decided to revise its approach to construction, by setting up an unprecedented negotiation process with real estate operators. It’s about a “architectural and environmental charter”, which defines the town planning criteria more precisely than its local town planning and housing plan. This charter is intended as a prerequisite for the building permit, by imposing a minimum of three consultation sessions with the promoters, before the filing of a file.
“Construction is an extremely sensitive subject, we wanted to regain control, with the desire to address the concerns of local residents. We set our criteria, the course is clear. With this preliminary discussion, we keep the pirates away from the real estate”, explains Philippe Cochet. Re-elected for fifteen years, the mayor (Les Républicains, LR) of Caluire recognizes that he rejected construction projects unceremoniously, to avoid hostile reactions from his constituents: “We may be seen as the bad guys, but we protect our territory. We don’t want to suffer speculation. »
In Caluire, as in the majority of municipalities in France, according to real estate professionals, the reluctance of mayors, fearing administrative complications and electoral repercussions, largely explains the vertiginous fall in real estate construction. In the metropolis of Lyon, construction has fallen by 50% over the past four years, with 3,600 housing units delivered in 2021, well below metropolitan ambitions.
The first city councilor of Caluire wants to preserve the tranquility which makes the reputation of his city, socially easy. Geographically preserved between Rhône and Saône, north of Lyon, the town of 44,000 inhabitants has very little free land. “We have to get out of the accommodation, but we won’t do anything. The big blocks of buildings, it’s over. We’re rebuilding the city on itself.” says Mr. Cochet. Former deputy, president of the LR group in the metropolis, the mayor does not intend to upset the sociology of his commune, while dealing with legal obligations.
“Ecological Consciousness”
According to him, his new construction charter will make it possible to increase the rate of social housing from 14% to 20%, during his term of office. Still below the regulatory threshold of 25% of the SRU law, the effort is also a signal sent to the metropolis, led by environmentalists, which is developing public transport in proactive sectors in terms of housing.
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