towards an unraveling of government objectives?

Zero net land take (ZAN): a complicated name for a simple principle. The objective is that by 2030, we halve the newly built surface on the territory, whether for roads, housing, commercial areas, to reach “zero net artificialisation” in 2050. To compensate concreting, municipalities are for example encouraged to reuse wasteland or otherwise to recycle areas, to return them to nature.

>> To read: Construction projects on agricultural land exploded in 2021

Except that the senators want to come back to this objective. VSThis is in any case what worries the LPO, the league for the protection of birds. A senatorial bill discussed next week wants to set up exceptions, which according to the association exclude 60,000 hectares from the device. This represents about half of Paris: for example, building in parks and gardens would no longer be considered artificial, a football stadium would be seen as a natural space, there would also be exceptions for mountain municipalities. and coastline, and for major national projects, such as an airport.

Government caught in the crossfire

So many ways to try to respond to the concerns of local elected officials, who fear the consequences of this measure taken in 2021. To put it simply: limiting new construction means limiting the arrival of new inhabitants in small towns, limiting the establishment of businesses and shops, and thus fuel the vicious circle of rural desertification. Same thing on the contrary in areas in tension, where there is a lack of housing. All this, the senators have understood, with the senatorial elections coming up in September in sight.

This bill will probably be passed in the Senate, but the National Assembly stage will be more complicated. “The purpose of the device is not debatable”we are warned within the government, where we nevertheless consider that we must “leave a little air to rural communities”. The government is torn between economic necessities and also the need not to unravel one of the great ecological advances of Emmanuel Macron’s first five-year term.