The commune of Durance adopted a Local Urban Planning Scheme (P.L.U) in November 2013 to implement a comprehensive urban planning and development project for our village.

The aim of this P.L.U. is to encourage the emergence of a shared territorial project at the service of all residents. The aim is to protect the living environment, develop the village harmoniously and preserve the environment.

Preserving the environment means first and foremost protecting natural areas and forests, and the commune’s P.L.U. is a concrete expression of this.

Preserving the environment also means minimizing as far as possible the impact of human activity in the village on the natural environment, by limiting sources of pollution and in particular discharges from the current wastewater treatment plant.

Unfortunately, this tool is no longer adapted to the new regulatory constraints imposed by the French government.

For this reason, the commune has initiated a procedure to encourage the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant on its territory.

Designed to serve the homes in the town center, it will include a biological wastewater treatment process and sludge treatment using sand filters planted with reeds.

This high-performance biological water treatment system will ensure that wastewater is discharged into the natural environment of the Avance river, whose valley runs through the commune, and which has been identified as part of the “Natura 2000” conservation network with the presence of some of the most endangered species, such as the European mink and the cistude.

To achieve this, it is therefore necessary to initiate a procedure to make the P.L.U. “compatible” with the “declaration of project for the wastewater treatment plant”.

Firstly, the parcel concerned by the wastewater treatment plant project will have to undergo a change of regulations in terms of provisions linked to the P.L.U..

Currently classified as a wooded area (EBC), the parcel in question, which is destined to host the wastewater treatment plant project, will now be classified in zone N, or “natural” zone.

It should be noted that the impact in terms of surface area is minimal, since this downgrading only concerns a surface area of 0.5 ha out of a total of 2,109.95 ha of surfaces classified as EBC in the commune.

Secondly, given its objective of reducing and improving the quality of wastewater discharges, the project to build this new plant should be considered as a project of general interest.

Its commissioning will improve water quality and have a positive environmental impact on the Avance.

As this is an operation which, due to its nature, consistency or the character of the areas concerned, is likely to affect the environment, it must therefore give rise to a public inquiry, which will take place from February^1, 2016 to March 2, 2016.