Construction site of the future Aristide-Briand car park in Sète: the first compensation for traders, soon to be put to the vote

Les commerçants de la place Aristide-Briand ont subi des préjudices économiques depuis 2023. Archive Hélène Amiraux

Un an après le lancement des premiers dossiers d’indemnisations des commerces impactés par le chantier du futur parking de la place Aristide-Briand de Sète, les premières compensations vont pouvoir être examinées.

A year ago, the first meetings began at the town hall to inform the traders in the area of ​​Place Aristide-Briand of the steps to take to obtain compensation for the losses suffered due to the construction of the future underground car park, under the said square. The professionals impacted because they were unable to operate their establishments under normal conditions were therefore invited to put together a file with the help of the CCI of Béziers. Contrary to what had been done for previous major works, the City chose not to wait until the end of the work, scheduled for the end of 2025, to compensate the economic losses of the brands. “We are aware that they have been subjected to considerable constraints and we want to support them before the end of the work", says Francis Hernandez, deputy in charge of the file. Interim amounts may be paid.

Five files finalized

A year later, “five files have been deemed admissible and of these, three have been finalized. The other two are still under review while awaiting additional information", specifies the elected official. Establishments that have recorded a 15% drop in gross margin from the 2023 financial year can apply for the system. Some traders who were not affected from the start of the work could be affected during the new phases of the pedestrian development around the square.

Compensation submitted to the next council

It is the so-called major works settlement commission that is responsible for assessing the accounting situations of applicants. Under the eye of a chartered accountant appointed by the order, a representative of the commercial court registry, the balance sheets are verified. The CCI takes care of collecting the elements, then forwarded to the tripartite evaluation committee. Compensation proposals (municipal funds) are submitted to the elected officials who present them to the municipal council for a vote. “We will pass on part of the compensation to the next council by October, assures Francis Hernandez. Then we will examine them every six months or so, and at the end of the work, we will make a final assessment of the situations."

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