About 30 people at Notre-Dame-des-Landes demand their property back (taken 5 years ago to build a new airport)

At Notre-Dame-des-Landes, a new airport is planned to replace the existing Nantes airport. The battle has been going on for years.  Now exactly five years after the French state expropriated a large area of land for the airport, there has been no start to the project – there is not even a start date in prospect. Therefore under the French system, as work has not begun, those who have lost ownership of their land (they may still live on it for the time being) can apply to get it back. Around 30 people affected are now submitting the necessary legal papers to get their land, farmland and buildings back, to the court in Saint-Nazaire. These people have not used the money, and they don’t want it. They want ownership of their land and property back. The French system did not anticipate, in the law relating to expropriation, that any scheme would have delays for as long as five years. 
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Notre-Dame-des-Landes: some 30 expropriates demand the restitution of their property

17 March 2017

They had been expropriated from their home, from their operation five years ago, for the construction of the airport. Since nothing has moved and the law allows them to claim a retrocession.

The expropriates of Notre-Dame-des-Landes want to recover their land. They are farmers or lived at the place where the future airport is to be built, but since they were asked to leave five years ago, the site has not yet begun . The law allows them to claim the surrender of their real estate. Around thirty people will file a request to this effect before the Saint-Nazaire tribunal de grande instance.

“We did not touch the pennies, they did not start work.” Among those who want to recover their property, figure Sylvain Fresneau, farmer and historical opponent at the airport . “We have been expropriated more than 100 hectares, from the house, from the farms, and we demand the restitution of it.” We have never touched the pennies, they have not begun the work , we say to them: Sylvain Fresneau is optimistic: “We are going to recover everything. We are at home, we can continue to exploit, more serenely than we do now.”

“It is not today that we will let go”.  The farmer also appears very determined: “It is not today that we will let go, even less than yesterday.” The political context he considers “bizarre” does not seem to him to be an additional asset. “I’m waiting to see, I have no confidence.”

http://www.europe1.fr/societe/notre-dame-des-landes-une-trentaine-dexpropries-demandent-la-restitution-de-leurs-biens-3005021#xtor=CS1-16

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Earlier:

In Notre-Dame-des-Landes, expropriates want to recover their land

By EMILIE TORGEMEN
20 January 2017

The code of expropriation specifies that if the building or the land has not received the intended destination, the former owners may claim the surrender of their property.

The former Prime Minister Manuel Valls had promised to send the first excavators to the site of the future airport Notre-Dame-des-Landes “in the fall”, but that was not the case.

As a result, the inhabitants of the area have been expropriated for years, or “the code of expropriation specifies that if the building, namely the building or the land, has not received the intended destination, The surrender of their property “.  [In the French system, the land is first expropriated by the state. The occupants can continue to live on it, but ulitmately they are forced off. It is a bit different to the compulsory purchase situation in the UK. AW comment].

A small group of these expellees met on Thursday, five years to the day after receiving the order that the state owned their fields or their farm on January 18, 2012.

They own agricultural land, houses or buildings Livestock farming, distributed throughout. Some have never accepted the compensation payment, others are willing to make the money touched. At the beginning of the week, on Monday or Tuesday, they will send a written request to the State and Grand Ouest Airport (AGO), Vinci’s subsidiary and concessionaire of the future airport.

This is an “exceptional” procedure, says Maître Lemoine. And for good reason, it is very rare that a project of public utility does not succeed after this date of expiry.

But for Notre-Dame-des-Landes, supposed to replace the current airport of Nantes for more than 50 years, everything seems out of the ordinary. “The land is not used, and the works are not even started,” notes the lawyer.

This new legal battle does not imply the “zadists”, new occupants of the zone come to settle to express their opposition. “We need a title deed” insists Julien Durand, representative of the Inter-municipal Citizens’ Association of the populations concerned by the airport project (ACIPA).

He himself with his wife and part of his family owns a piece of land in the northeast of the area, near the town of Grand-champs-des-Fontaines.

“For us it is also a way to dispel suspicion when we have been accused of starting a legal guerilla war only to get bigger compensation. That’s wrong, we want to get our property back!”

Today, about thirty files have been compiled, ie a little more than 100ha of the 650 ha of the development zone. “It is not excluded that other owners will join us,” said Julien Durand who promises that if the state does not give them reason, they will go to court to “put an end to this airport project”.

Emilie Torgemen

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From the original in French: 

A Notre-Dame-des-Landes, des expropriés veulent récupérer leur terres

By EMILIE TORGEMEN (Le Parisien)

20 janvier 2017

Le code de l’expropriation précise que si l’immeuble à savoir, le bâtiment ou le terrain n’a pas reçu la destination prévue, les anciens propriétaires peuvent réclamer la rétrocession de leur propriété.

L’ancien Premier ministre Manuel Valls avait promis d’envoyer les premières pelleteuses sur le chantier du futur aéroport de Notre-dame-des-Landes « à l’automne », ça n’a pas été le cas.

Résultat, voila des années que les habitants de la zone ont été expropriés or «le code de l’expropriation précise que si l’immeuble à savoir, le bâtiment ou le terrain n’a pas reçu la destination prévue, les anciens propriétaires peuvent réclamer la rétrocession de leur propriété ».

Une petit groupe de ces expulsés se sont réunis ce jeudi, cinq ans jour pour jour après avoir reçu l’ordonnance qui rendait l’Etat propriétaire de leurs champs ou de leur ferme le 18 janvier 2012. Ils possèdent des terres agricoles, maisons ou bâtiments d’élevage, répartis un peu partout. Certains n’ont jamais accepté le chèque de compensation, les autres sont prêts à rendre l’argent touché. Ils adresseront en début de semaine, lundi ou mardi, une demande écrite à l’Etat et à Aéroport du Grand Ouest (AGO), filiale de Vinci et concessionnaire du futur aéroport.

C’est une procédure « exceptionnelle » précise Maître Lemoine. Et pour cause, il est très rare qu’un projet d’utilité publique n’aboutisse pas après cette date de péremption. Mais pour Notre-Dame-des Landes, censé remplacer l’actuel aéroport de Nantes depuis plus de 50 ans, tout semble hors-norme. «Les terrains ne sont pas utilisés, et les travaux ne sont pas même commencé» note le juriste.

Cette nouvelle bataille juridique n’implique pas les «zadistes», nouveaux occupants de la zone venus s’installer pour manifester leur opposition. «Il faut un titre de propriété » insiste Julien Durand, représentant de l’Association citoyenne intercommunale des populations concernées par le projet d’aéroport (ACIPA). Lui-même possède avec son épouse et une partie de la famille de celle-ci un terrain au Nord-Est de la zone, près de la commune de Grand-champs-des-Fontaines.

« Pour nous c’est aussi un moyen de dissiper les soupçons alors qu’on nous a accusé de nemener une guérilla juridique que pour obtenir de plus grosses indemnisations. C’est faux, nous voulons récupérer notre bien ! »

Aujourd’hui, une trentaine de dossiers ont été compilés, soit un peu plus de 100ha sur les 650 ha de la zone d’aménagement. «Ce n’est pas exclu que d’autres propriétaires nous rejoignent » souligne Julien Durand qui promet que si l’Etat ne leur donne pas raison, ils iront devant le tribunal pour « mettre un point final à ce projet d’aéroport ».

Emilie Torgemen
leparisien.fr

http://www.leparisien.fr/societe/a-notre-dame-des-landes-des-expropries-veulent-recuperer-leur-terres-20-01-2017-6596889.php

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