They are the last hope of municipalities. Abandoned for years, even decades, fallow land has become highly demanded property in cities enjoying strong attractiveness. Forced to no longer spread out to preserve agricultural land, communities are all faced with the same challenge: rebuilding themselves. There are two solutions. Demolish aging buildings or neighborhoods to install new ones. Or explore urban wastelands. Member of the club of the most attractive cities in France, Rennes has already exploited the vein for years by getting closer to powerful allies often very rich in land that is not used for much: the SNCF, the army and the Church. .
The latest acquisition is a good illustration of the close relationships forged between these land business partners. After having sent Euro-Shelter to the wasteland of PSA in Janais, the Rennes metropolis was able to buy the abandoned hangars in Courrouze from the Land Armaments Industrial Group (GIAT), which remained the owner even after the end of its military arsenal. Here, it is a place dedicated to the social and solidarity economy that will come out of the ground. But also buildings that will accommodate around 190 housing units nestled close to the new metro. “With zero net artificialisation, military and religious enclosures have become tremendous opportunities for cities”, recognizes Sébastien Sémeril, vice-president of Rennes Métropole for economic development.
In the mushroom district of Courrouze, many land acquisitions were made from the army. While in the equally booming district of Baud-Chardonnet, it was with the SNCF that the metropolis was negotiating. “For a long time, the army wanted to reduce its land and handed it over to us. At La Courrouze, we are still talking about 120 hectares. But she is no longer a salesperson now,” regrets Marc Hervé, deputy town planner for the city of Rennes. The project to sell the Foch barracks, in the city center, has notably been abandoned by the military administration, which wishes to house its growing workforce there, particularly in cyber defense.
Ten million euros… Instead of 5,000!
The city would have liked to recover this 7 ha right of way, but it does not make a big deal out of it either. “We are not short of projects. We are discussing with the SNCF for Solférino or the old technicentre. We must also exchange with the universities which have a lot of land in Beaulieu. The real question is above all to know at what price we buy, ”sums up the son of the former mayor of Rennes. In La Courrouze, the metropolis has spent 3.5 million euros to afford four hectares of land that will have to be cleaned up and sometimes deconstructed. “When you buy agricultural land in Brittany, you are more around 5,000 euros per hectare. When you’re on wasteland, it’s more like 1,000 euros per square meter. Do the math and you will find that at this price, the “non-agricultural” hectare is trading at around 10 million euros in Rennes. “The economy is no longer the same. To find the balance, we have no choice but to build a little higher, ”recalls the elected socialist, who knows that the height tenses the inhabitants.
The “good news” with wastelands is that they are often already equipped with water, electricity and road networks. Less investment to be made for communities that want to build housing there. Even if the balance of the operation is still very precarious. The price to pay to preserve the other land.