It’s a subject “irritating” And “explosive”, according to several interlocutors within the government. The gradual entry into force of the legislation on ZAN (for zero net artificialization), which aims to limit the artificialization of land in the years to come, clashes with the imperatives of reindustrialization also defended by the executive.
It was the Minister of the Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, who put his foot down, Friday March 29, in a speech detailing his industrial roadmap, delivered at the Renault site in Sandouville (Seine). -Maritime). “There is no factory without land”explained Mr. Le Maire, admitting that the question of industrial land was “perhaps the most sensitive point” of the country’s reindustrialization project.
For the minister, “we must question the implementation of ZAN” because the pressure is increasing: “We need to free up land for industry. » No question of “finding ourselves in the improbable situation of having to refuse industrial investments representing billions of euros of investment and thousands of jobs because there is no land available. »
“Several hundred projects”
The national trajectory of zero net artificialization was established by the Climate and resilience law, in 2021. Its objective, simple on paper, is more complex in reality: reduce by 50%, by 2030, the consumption of natural, agricultural and forest areas in the country, then achieve zero net artificialization in 2050 – any space which will then be artificialized will be compensated by an equivalent natural space. Planning which can quickly turn into a headache for local elected officials, particularly in areas with high industrial demand, such as the Rhone corridor or the Toulouse basin.
The system was therefore reviewed by the law of July 20, 2023 for’“support local elected officials” in its implementation. This second text defined a ” package “ of 12,500 hectares reserved for industrial projects “of national or European scope and of major general interest”, which will not be counted in the ZAN. The list of these projects must be published in the coming days by an order from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion.
Christophe Béchu’s services have been in discussion, since December 2023, with associations of local elected officials to develop this ranking of “several hundred projects”, according to the ministry. Among the sites selected as non-ZAN should for example include the industrial zones around Dunkirk (North), Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) or Le Havre (Seine-Maritime).
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