In a few years rates are increased from 2

Everything will be completed by 2008! "That's what announced upbeat, in June 2003, Jean-Louis Borloo, then Minister of employment, social cohesion and housing, the launch of the national urban renewal programme (NERP). Five years later, this calendar is no longer current. After several years of preparation of cases by local communities, the first building start only. A large majority of the operations are still in phase of study. "Some 450 neighbourhoods on the 550 are passed in Committee of commitment and are the subject of multi-year agreements," said Pascal Martin gusset, Deputy Director General at the National Agency for urban renewal (Anru).

This organization was established in 2004, mission select folder renovation projects and distribute grants to partially fund these operations. Owners of these achievements, the elect are responsible for completing their financial montage in seeking aid complementary to their Department, their region, housing offices and the Caisse des Dépôts as appropriations. Since its inception, the Anru objectives have not changed: improve life and habitat conditions in the poorest cities. The procedure, it is radical. Urban renewal by the Anru almost always involves the demolition of bars and towers, new housing reconstruction and rehabilitation of the residential existing, all on a background of social mix. "Some mayors have quickly understood that receive money from this organization, required all shaving or almost", notes Patrice Vergriete, Director General of the planning and development of the region Flanders-Dunkerque.

Only 1 billion distributed

Once completed Anru, this national effort sites allowed to demolish 129.000 social housing and to build 150.000. The redevelopment of neighbourhoods will have created other 274.000 housing rehabilitation and 300.600 résidentialisation.

With a total budget today of EUR 12 billion since its inception, the Anru already affected more than 11 billion euros in urban operations of various sizes. Distilled grants, this manna will allow local communities to engage in total more than 36 billion of work in difficult neighbourhoods. But elected officials already gnashing of teeth. To date, only 1 billion came out of the State, or 8.3 of the announced commitments. "The promised money will start to be released en masse at the phases of implementation." "So far, studies upstream only required significant funds", it is argued in the Anru. Another disappointment of this ambitious program: no operation will be completed in 2008 or in 2009. Anru stamped operations should be completed in 2013, official date of the end of this great work.

But some local actors evoke 2020. Why such a delay "Were not rebuilt a city or a neighbourhood in a few months, several years are necessary, or even a decade." "Local players, the social landlords as elected officials, took their time to not reproduce the errors of the past", says Philippe Vignaud, urbanist architect workshop vans. A single Anru neighbourhood on the sixteen to which he has been working since four years committed work. The complexity of some sites, binding legislation, rules of urban planning to create, and relocations to perform, the studies are all factors that require a minimum gestation period between two and four years. "These are still relatively short because of all the elements to take into account the scale of a neighborhood." "To be anticipating the sewing of the new piece of city with the rest of the city, find a new architecture and identity in the sector, predicting the arrival of the new transit", details Yves Laffoucrière, General Director of the 3F, a social landlord Group engaged in 45 projects Anru, including 30 in Ile-de-France. The multiplication of local initiatives was to speed up projects of the actors in the world housing. "We took advantage of this dynamic to renovate sooner than our residences in these areas", says Sylvie Hénot, Director of the urban renewal of the Efidis group.

After the euphoric phase of distribution of funds and project design, the construction phase is more painful. If the action of the Anru has excited early elected officials of any edge, all are now critical. The subject which irritates is the non-review of the price of the work. "In financial models of presentation of our projects, we had found the work on the basis of the cost of the construction of 2004." Since then, the price of raw materials soared and construction increased by 4 to 6 per year. The invoice is therefore appreciated. Yet, we know that the municipality would not be able to fund only the additional cost. "As the Anru, lack of means, it is take the ear to complete sums", is alarm Annie Guillemot, Mayor of Bron (Rhône). "In the meantime, the use of loans by local communities has become more expensive." "In a few years, rates are increased from 2.5 to 4 ", said André Vantomme, Oise Senator and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Opac of the Department.

Who will pay the extra cost

This confusion is also palpable in the Paris suburbs. The town of Clichy-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), signed in December 2004, an agreement with the Anru of EUR 500 million, the most important France. First sites are engaged in the streets of the city and yet the record blocks on the adoption of a fourth amendment to this convention. "More than four years ago, we had encrypted the redemption of degraded private condominiums to 500 euros per square metre." Today, the market of these same apartments price ranges between 1,000 and 1,300 euros per square metre. "This operation is two times higher than expected," said Claude Dilain, Mayor of Clichy-sous-Bois.

The latter says that the Anru suggested to do half of the original program. "It is impossible and especially this makes no sense." Our action must focus on comprehensive real estate, one of the forest, located on a slab. "Need any make or nothing at all", he exclaims. Not despairing to succeed with the Anru, the town found in extremis a solution. "Money intended for construction of public facilities were reallocated to these work priority," said the Mayor. "At first quantifications we didn't experience." At the time, the Anru, yet richly with, left cities the possibility of later on more complex subjects with some riders. "Today lack of money, these recent extensions are difficult to negotiate," said Annie Guillemot.

The municipality of Choisy-le-Roi (Val-de-Marne) was the Agency cuts costs. Signed in February 2008, the city's agreement covers 130 million euros of work. "The Anru will fund 40 million." "However we are disappointed at not obtaining more as we thought at the outset", confirms Jean-Michel Bello, responsible for operations of urban renovation of the city. Victim of its success, the Agency has more financial means to deal with the financial excesses of operations on which it is committed. According to Patrice Vergriete, effective this structure "It is now ordered to manage the queue". After some observers, the first to arrive would have been best with. Today, there would only be a lean budget, 500 million euros, for the new folders.

The disenchantment is among donors, owners major concerned sets. At the Congress of the social Union for habitat (USH), which was held in Cannes 23-September 25, the actors of the HLM world raised two issues. They argue for an improvement of administrative procedures which are lengthy. "The phase in amontdu the Anru payment should be shortened, it causes delays of important payment and cash flow problems," said Beatrix Mora, Assistant Director to delegate the USH professional action.

Another subject of concern: the gradual disengagement of the State of financing these large projects just starting. "The initial envelope of EUR 12 billion will not be enough to complete all of the announced work, or social landlords do not have the financial means to honour these bills," continues Beatrix Mora. After four operations Anru in Oise, André Vantomme does not want to launch a fifth in the current context. "If the major social landlords have kidneys strong enough to draw on their own and launch fund programs, other, smaller size, is likely to throw the sponge if it does not help", he warned.