“We will not let Mayotte become a shanty town island again”: what does the emergency bill provide for rebuilding the archipelago ?

The text will notably allow for two-year exceptions to urban planning regulations, announced government spokesperson Sophie Primas.

The bill for the reconstruction of Mayotte, devastated in December by cyclone Chido, was presented on Wednesday to the Council of Ministers.

The text, which will notably allow for two-year exceptions to urban planning regulations, is based on the “presentation of an emergency bill”, announced government spokesperson Sophie Primas.

“Its philosophy is simple: to enable the very rapid implementation of urgent measures, to facilitate the accommodation and support of the population, as well as the reconstruction or repair of infrastructure” explained the Minister of Overseas Territories, Manuel Valls, at the end of the council.

The bill, comprising 22 articles, provides for the intervention of a public institution dedicated to the reconstruction of Mayotte. It will be necessary to make it a “powerful operator”, stressed Manuel Valls, who referred to the method chosen to rebuild Notre-Dame.

Here too, it is a general, Pascal Facon, who will be responsible for “prefiguring this establishment”, with the idea that he will eventually become its general director. The text presented to the Council of Ministers also facilitates, in particular, the reconstruction of schools and the installation of temporary buildings “intended for emergency accommodation”.

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These will be exempt from formalities related to the Urban Planning Code, provided that their duration of establishment does not exceed two years.

Otherwise, the constructions will have to be regularized or destroyed, specified the government, accused of not tackling the shanty towns enough by elected officials from Mayotte.

“Do not become a shanty town island again”

The new housing will however have to offer “guarantees of sustainability”.

Also, and above all, they will have to “meet the requirements provided for by the regulations relating to the prevention of natural risks”, says the text, quoted by LCP.

“We will not let Mayotte become a shanty town island again”, Manuel Valls said on Wednesday.

But for now, “Our priority is that the Mahorais have a roof over their heads as quickly as possible,” he stressed. The text will therefore be examined on Monday by the Economic Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, with a view to rapid adoption by Parliament.

Manuel Valls hopes that “the parliamentary debate” will allow to “complete” the text on the “ fight against illegal housing” and the “temporary freeze on rents”.

The government is not, moreover, at this stage, addressing the sensitive issue of immigration to Mayotte, which is nevertheless considered “uncontrolled” by François Bayrou.

“Mayotte is plagued by two scourges: irregular immigration and illegal housing”,

This issue, described as a priority by Bruno Retailleau and Manuel Valls, should be addressed in a separate text next spring.

“Mayotte is plagued by two scourges: irregular immigration and illegal housing”, Manuel Valls stressed on Wednesday, who then wants to introduce another text containing more “structural” measures. This “project law-program for the reestablishment of Mayotte” will be presented “within the next three months” , he announced. The Prime Minister has set himself the ambition of rebuilding Mayotte in two years.