Environmental, heritage, urban planning, and land-related restrictions on the development of public facilities, works, and infrastructure in France

Abstract

Today the public activity of planning and infrastructure construction is subject to two types of imperatives: general restrictions and specific restrictions. General restrictions are essentially urban planning regulations and environmental requirements. Environmental requirements change frequently, specially after the Grenelle Act 2, and affect all stages of preparation of a public work. The first specific restrictions are financial imperatives, which are of great importance and may speed up or slow down a public works. Finally there are specific requirements that relate to the preservation of the heritage and the sensitive nature of certain geographical areas.