Around the rue Damrémont, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, it is difficult to find residents satisfied with the construction of the imposing building located at number 122. "It's a horror", plague Chantal, which the hairdressing salon faces the site.
But beyond aesthetic considerations, it is the size of the building that poses a problem for residents of a neighboring residence, located rue Championnet.
For several months, the co-owners of Clos de Montmartre have seen the construction site at 122, rue Damrémont gain height, going beyond their building.
The new building, eight stories high with a panoramic roof terrace, deprived the neighbors of the view of the Butte Montmartre and the Sacré-Coeur.
“I went abroad for several months and when I came back, I saw nothing but concrete.
I have the feeling that my eyesight has been stolen from me ”, indignant a resident of Clos de Montmartre who wishes to remain anonymous.
Residents taken by surprise
“We understood that we were going to lose our sight when we saw the top floors piling up,” says Cyril Cambier, owner of an apartment on the 7th floor of Clos de Montmartre since 2019. We are annoyed, like many people in the neighborhood .
Why was the new building not aligned with the other buildings on rue Damrémont?
He asks himself.
The old view of Montmartre taken from the balcony of a resident of Clos de Montmartre, located rue Championnet, before the construction of the building rue Damrémont.
DR Auguste Canier
The site, launched after obtaining the building permit issued by the town hall of the 18th arrondissement on January 13, 2018, should be completed at the end of 2021. The developer Cogedim plans to install 93 housing units, from the studio to 5 rooms, including luxury apartments on the top floors.
The building permit had been posted on this private land, and according to residents, dispute procedures were launched within the legal period of two months by residents of the neighborhood, which we could not confirm.
These procedures would not have succeeded.
Cyril Cambier and his neighbor did not contest the building permit on their side.
“We didn't think we would have this result,” they explain.
Home values may fall
The inhabitants deprived of the view on Montmartre especially find it difficult to understand why they were not consulted by the promoter of the inconvenience that this site was going to cause. However, the procedure seems to have been carried out correctly. "The developer is not required to notify all surrounding condominiums," recognizes Sandrine Lempereur, in charge of the Clos de Montmartre trustee. It is up to the co-owners to take cognizance of the building permit, to warn the trustee and possibly contest it. "
The town hall of the 18th arrondissement indicates that it understands the distress of the residents impacted by this new construction, but affirms that the building permit was issued in a legal manner and in accordance with the local Urban Plan (PLU) in force. For his part, the developer Cogedim says he is "sorry" about this situation, but recalls that his project complies with the regulations, and that it "meets the strong housing needs of Parisians and metropolitan". Apart from a “dissatisfied” co-owner, Cogedim claims to have received no feedback from other residents.
The inhabitants of Clos de Montmartre fear that their accommodation will lose a significant part of its value, without being able to do anything about it. "The right to take advantage of a remarkable view is not acquired in urban areas, except to demonstrate that it would be exceptional", observes Xavier Demeuzoy, lawyer specializing in real estate law. The residents concerned are thinking about organizing collectively to win their case.
