How to protect yourself from the construction of a building next to your house? This is all the difficulty facing the town of Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines) whose municipal council has just voted to establish a perimeter of studies. This device provided for by the Town Planning Code gives a certain "right of scrutiny" to the competent authority in matters of issuing town planning authorizations. The legislative tool offers the competent authority the possibility to "rule on any request when works, constructions or installations are likely to compromise or make more expensive the realization of a development operation".
Because the Cité du Cheval, located less than twenty kilometers from Paris, enjoys a great attractiveness to the point that real estate speculation is more and more important.
Professionals in the sector see it as an opportunity to resell goods with high added value.
Apartments currently fetch 6,156 euros per square meter, with prices increasing by 16.4% over the past five years.
In comparison, the average price per square meter for an apartment in the Yvelines is 4,631 euros.
"They try to manipulate people to get promises to sell"
This context "worries" the mayor (LR) Jacques Myard, who has had time to see the situation evolve since his first election in 1989. Moreover, the issue of real estate and housing has emerged as an issue. strong campaign in the last municipal elections, nearly 450 have been delivered over the past two years.
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"It's real estate proselytism with multiple lies, assures the former deputy, pointing the finger at developers who do not hesitate to" tap "to win their case.
Sometimes they go to suburban areas, they try to manipulate people to get promises to sell.
Some even recommend themselves from the town hall!
"
Serge Godaert, the deputy in particular for town planning, refers to “extremely virulent and even aggressive professionals”.
"The promoters have eyes that shine as soon as they see a small piece of land in our town because everything is selling very well and very expensive," he breathes.
Price proposals ranging from single to double?
The inhabitants confirm to be confronted with particularly insistent canvassing.
Last month, Lorenzo gave himself a great scare.
This forty-something, executive in a company in Val-d'Oise, which had invested in Maisons-Laffitte two years ago, one day saw a real estate agency ring at his door.
Mandated by a builder, she was eyeing a neighboring house put up for sale as part of an estate.
“But one lot was obviously not enough for them so they went to canvass the three houses next door,” he says.
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He did not go so far as to receive an offer, opposing the real estate agency a frank and definitive no.
"On the other hand, we had a little stress while waiting for the response of the neighbors," he continues.
Eventually, the house was sold to an individual.
A phew of relief for this family.
“We really didn't see each other with a building next to us.
I had also questioned the agency on the real possibility of building this in a residential area.
I was told that builders can be very imaginative when it comes to respecting building rules, ”explains Lorenzo.
According to his information, the offer on the house put up for sale initially was worth the detour: “It was posted at 550,000 euros.
I think they almost offered double.
"
The desire to "preserve historical specificity"
Obviously, the municipality is trying to curb this escalation.
"I have rewritten to several large groups such as Bouygues, but not only, because there is no way we are faced with a fait accompli," confides Jacques Myard.
Admittedly, there is a revival of the city center with programs which are pushed by the Duflot and Elan laws but we will oppose the creation of others in the park and residential areas.
"
Faced with this "unbearable land pressure", the former parliamentarian has already shown cunning.
"The promoter has every interest in a project being done as quickly as possible," says the elected official.
I am doing everything to ensure that this does not happen by finding regulatory means to block the case.
"
From now on, the scope of studies will allow it to suspend the granting of a building permit for a period of two years. A device which, according to him, offers “the control of urban development in suburban areas which do not lend themselves to it. "For Serge Godaert, it is also a question of" preserving the historical specificity and the architectural beauty of Maisons-Laffitte so that certain areas are not distorted and do not turn into metro corridors ".