This is a first in Mèze. In this town in the Thau basin, near Sète in Hérault, the State decided to strike hard on Wednesday, in search of illegal construction. Fifty-one plots were checked. Thirty-two reports were drawn up for illegal installations and constructions and immediately transmitted to the public prosecutor. “Offenders incur fines and daily penalties,” specifies the prefecture. They can go “up to 500 euros per day of delay in the restoration of the land, eviction from the premises, demolition of illegally constructed works or even, in certain cases, prison sentences”.
For several years, the State has declared war on the phenomenon of cabanization, illegal settlements without building permits in sensitive areas. Sometimes to the point of demolition of houses, when the procedures come to an end, without intervention from the offenders. “The installations in question are all located in unconstructible areas, some of them exposed to natural risks,” mentions the prefecture. Illegal connections to electricity and water distribution networks, and sanitation malfunctions, were also noted. »
Map location
In its tracking of illegal constructions, the State relies in particular on the Aigle tool, software for mapping illegal constructions from the DDTM (Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea). “Other operations will take place soon in the sector,” warns the prefect of Hérault, François-Xavier Lauch. We will pursue any owner in an illegal situation, with the aim of restoring the premises. »