At the Îlot vert de la Soulondres, the residents' cooperative is taking off and has already been rewarded nationally

22 housing units will be built in this former agricultural farmhouse in Lodève. Midi Libre – E.L.

Une joyeuse bande de coopérateurs qui sont passés par toutes sortes d'épreuves pour aboutir au lancement de leur projet. Midi Libre

Un projet innovant d'habitat partagé porté par une coopérative : 22 logements éco-solidaires à venir dans la réhabilitation d'un ancien mas agricole lodévois.

"If you want to feel thrills, take a ride, a roller coaster… I advise you to set up a cooperative of residents!" Anne Goepfert is president of this team of "some people crazy people gathered for a slightly crazy project" who made an extremely symbolic gesture this Wednesday evening: the first stone of the green island of Soulondres. Here, in the lower part of Lodève, a stone's throw from the college and on the banks of the river, an old agricultural farmhouse abandoned for years, will be transformed into an ecological and open social project.

A foundation stone laying under the sign of humor and artistic creativity! Midi Libre – E.L.

Concretely, 22 housing units from 38 m2 to 75 m2, all through, will be built, partly in the existing building, the other in an adjoining construction which will see the light of day in place of the existing building. ;rsquo;old lean-tos intended to be demolished. This social project, which plans to welcome a third of seniors, a third under 40 years old, and the last third of elderly people in between, aims to mix audiences: couples, single elderly people , single-parent families, and even this 22nd apartment, not yet funded (1) but intended to accommodate migrants or people in difficulty.

The second participatory housing project in Lodève

The green island of Soulondres will also be an eco-place, in other words a place designed to generate the lowest possible carbon footprint. A vegetable garden and an orchard must both have a nourishing vocation while offering training in permaculture, or welcoming classes from Lodévois. The river and its riparian forest will also be protected. This is also what pushed the City of Lodève to retain this project, the second in Lodève, after that of the Caminade.

The work should start shortly, an appointment is given at the end of 2025 for taking possession of the housing. Midi Libre – E.L.

"A new color in Lodève"

Gaëlle Lévêque recalled the genesis of the project: in 2009, a study identified urban pockets where construction was possible, without land sprawl. The Islet of Soulondres was identified and the Public Land Establishment purchased it on behalf of the City. This launched a call for projects, of interest to developers and social landlords. "But with my first assistant, we heard that residents were ready to embark on an innovative project. remembers ;rsquo;elected. "We have extended the deadlines to give them time to complete their file. In the end, our municipal council chose this project for its interaction with the neighborhood, this solidarity between residents and because another project, that of La Caminade, was already underway and this way of reinventing a way of ;being with each other speaks to us a lot. These social innovation projects give a new color to Lodève."

Anne Goepfert, president of a cooperative “of slightly crazy people for a slightly crazy project”. Midi Libre – E.L.

The State, as sub-prefect Eric Suzanne recalled, also supported this initiative. And the project, designed by architect Alexandre Neagu, benefited from the Green Fund (nearly 500,000 euros). Jacques Rigaud, departmental advisor, also expressed the interest of the Department (60,000 requests for social housing in Hérault, 75% of Hérault residents eligible for it, a statement supported by MP Sébastien Rome ) while Fadilha Benammar-Koly provided support from the Region.

Jean-Baptiste Marie, director of the interministerial program Committed to the quality of tomorrow's housing, praised the unprecedented co-design approach to the point, among the 97 winners in France, of awarding a label of & rsquo;excellence to Lodevois cooperators. Even before the work starts in a few weeks, already a beautiful decoration to hang on the wall!

On the occasion of Citizen Spring, La Caminade is showing off its project of 17 housing units, on Saturday April 27 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 259 rue de la Draille in Lodève. I subscribe to read more