A new decree of imminent danger was taken on Friday concerning an old building in the historic center of Bordeaux, at 85 cours Victor Hugo. It was evacuated, along with five other nearby buildings and three businesses, and a security perimeter was established in this neighborhood, near the Big Bell. 20 minutes asked the deputy mayor in charge of housing, Stéphane Pfeiffer, to take stock of the situation.
How many inhabitants are affected by these new evacuations, and how will it be for them?
This concerns 33 dwellings in total, and it is estimated that between 55 and 70 inhabitants are concerned. We’ve already had calls from people coming back from vacation these days wondering what’s going to happen to them. When they are tenants they must contact their owner, since it is up to him to relocate in these cases, but if he does not want or cannot the town hall intervenes to propose rehousing, which we have already done. for four persons.
What have you discovered about this building at 85, cours Victor Hugo?
This is a report that was made to us on Wednesday by the property manager of the building, it is rare enough to underline it. The city expert visited the site on Thursday. He considered that there was a significant risk, given the cracks on the facade of 85, cours Victor Hugo (rue Buhan side), and the basement foundations which are very degraded. In the process, we asked the administrative tribunal to appoint an expert, who must come at the beginning of the week to carry out a second opinion. It is he who will decide what to do next.
Concomitantly with the collapse of the two buildings on rue de la Rousselle in June, the danger orders on old buildings in the historic center have multiplied in recent months, how to explain it?
A few days before rue de la Rousselle [trois immeubles s’étaient effondrés le 20 juin, faisant trois blessés dont un grave], we had Planterose [onze immeubles évacués après l’effondrement d’un bâtiment] and Labirat-Lalande [neuf immeubles évacués après un arrêté de péril pris sur un bâtiment le 18 juin]. At the end of June, three buildings on the Quai de Bacalan were evacuated due to a ledge that threatened to collapse. In July we evacuated a building on rue Gaspard-Philippe. And at the beginning of August, we had another intervention, without evacuation, after the collapse of four steps of a staircase in a building, rue Buhan too.
These cases are different from each other, but all the situations concerning the old habitat of Bordeaux are the subject of particular attention, I confirm it to you. And we have hired outside firms to strengthen our teams, because we have had between 70 and 80 reports from rue de la Rousselle, and all of this must be checked. But in 2021 we did not issue more dangerous orders than last year at the same time of the year. Let us not forget that we are in a historic center with buildings which are several hundred years old, and which naturally deteriorate, even if sometimes the maintenance also leaves something to be desired on the part of some owners.
A problem of the nature of the subsoil was mentioned, in this area of the old center of Bordeaux, can you confirm that this can also play a role?
At the end of June, we had requested a design office which felt that there was no particular concern to be had about the nature of the soils, but this is part of our lines of thought and verification, in particular because of climatic changes. We want to measure what could be the impact of global warming on soils, in the event of strong heat or rain. We know in particular that there is a phenomenon of humidity in a large number of cellars in the old center, which the storms in June may have worsened.
Where are we with the audit of the old buildings that you wanted to launch?
A study is underway to analyze with precision the sectors affected by degraded housing. The report should be given to us in the next few weeks, and we will go and inspect the addresses retained thereafter. In addition, from January 2022, we are implementing the rental permit in certain sectors – Belcier, cours de la Marne, Saint-Michel and Victoire – which will require owners to inform the town hall before renting a property. , and we will have the opportunity to check that the accommodation is in good condition. Some owners will no longer be able to do anything, even if our objective is not to fine them, but to support them in carrying out work when necessary.