Levens may avoid social housing penalties again

Levens may avoid social housing penalties again – The town of Levens, in the Alpes-Maritimes, could once again avoid penalties for not meeting France’s legal quota for social housing. On July 11, the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Council voted to request a three-year exemption from the SRU law, which requires towns with over 3,500 residents to have at least 25% social housing. Levens currently sits at just 13.1%. Mayor Antoine Véran (Les Républicains) defended the decision, citing the town’s limited public transport, distance from job hubs, and lack of available land. “We’ve made real progress, from 10 to 301 social homes in 10 years,” he said.

However, the local Green party strongly opposed the move. Councillor Juliette Chesnel-Leroux argued Levens is neither remote nor unattractive, with nearby economic zones just 30 minutes away by car. She warned that granting the exemption could “open Pandora’s box,” encouraging other towns to do the same.

Only two of the 42 towns in the Nice Métropole currently meet the 25% social housing threshold, despite 33,000 applicants waiting for just 1,600 available homes in 2024. The decision now awaits final approval from the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture.