Owning a property near a protected monument in France

We have owned our village house in Burgundy for almost 10 years but would now like to do some work to it. It’s close to a protected/listed monument, a monument historique – what do we need to take into consideration before we start the renovations?

Anne-Sophie Doneche of Sweetch Architects explains:

In France, a listed building can impact your property on different levels. French law, under the Ministry of Culture, doesn’t only protect listed buildings, it also protects the area around listed buildings. By default, the law creates a protected surrounding area 500m around a listed building (zone ABF), in order to preserve and encourage the restoration of the architectural heritage but also to contain over-urbanisation.

For this reason, clients should not assume that if they can’t see the protected monument from their property, they won’t be impacted by it. In some cases, the conservation area has no relation with a protected monument. Therefore, before considering any renovation works on your own property, you should always question the mairie or an architect, to understand where the protected monument or protected area is and how it might impact your property.

You can also visit the following website: atlas.patrimoines.culture.fr/atlas/trunk. Once you have confirmed that your property is situated close to a listed building, you will want to know what type of planning permission you will need. It is important to mention that construction works on a property situated near a listed building will always require special approvals from the mairie and from the conservation architect (Architecte des Bâtiments de France). They may stop you from doing some of the work or force you to follow some rules (in terms of design or material). For example, you might not be allowed to extend your house, create new windows or modify the roof.

There are two types of approval and they have different examination times. All the works impacting the exterior of your property will at least need a déclaration préalable. It will take two months to be approved.
Bigger modifications (extension, new-build, demolition, for example), will need a permis de construire which will take three to four months to be approved.

Both will require you to detail the proposed modifications, in plans and elevations, show the existing condition of the building with photographs, and describe materials and design in a heritage statement.

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