Bordeaux Métropole local plan: until 20 November to give your views before your projects

Until Friday 20 November 2026 at 5 pm, residents of the 28 municipalities of Bordeaux Métropole can give their views on how the local plan (plan local d'urbanisme, PLU) will protect natural, agricultural and forest land. Nothing has been decided yet, but some plots that are buildable today may no longer be so tomorrow. Here is what is at stake and how to take part.

What is it about?

The local plan, known as PLU 3.1, sets the building rules for the 28 municipalities of the metropolitan area, from Bordeaux to Mérignac, from Pessac to Lormont. Bordeaux Métropole is preparing its third “simplified amendment” to incorporate the net zero land take objective set by the 2021 Climate and Resilience Act: halving the consumption of natural, agricultural and forest land between 2021 and 2031 compared with the previous decade, then reaching net zero land take in 2050.

The consultation began in March 2025 and received nearly 150 contributions. By a resolution of 25 September 2026, the Council of Bordeaux Métropole decided to continue it with an updated file, for two reasons: the territorial coherence scheme for the Bordeaux area (SCoT), approved on 11 December 2025, set the figures to be met, and the scope of this procedure was narrowed to the preservation of this land alone. Densification and the optimisation of plots already built on will be dealt with in the general review of PLU 3.1, launched in June 2025.

The figures in the file

From 2011 to 2021, 1,165 hectares of natural, agricultural and forest land were consumed across the metropolitan area. The chosen trajectory allows at most 524 hectares from 2021 to 2031, 262 hectares from 2031 to 2041 and 131 hectares from 2041 to 2050.

The file identifies around 2,900 hectares of such land located in urban zones or zones earmarked for development, i.e. 10% of buildable zones. The PLU already protects 400 hectares of it, for example as classified woodland. The law requires this trajectory to be incorporated into the PLU before 22 February 2028; otherwise, no further planning permission could be granted in zones earmarked for development.

What may change for your plot

Natural, agricultural or forest land is defined by what is actually on the ground, not by the PLU zoning: woodland, meadow, vineyard, heathland, but also some undeveloped areas of private properties. A plot classified as buildable today may therefore be part of it. The metropolitan authority will choose which land to protect according to its ecological value, the risks (forest fires, flooding), its agricultural or landscape role and the value of the planned projects. The consultation file does not yet list the plots concerned.

How to give your views

Taking part requires no town-planning expertise; a short, precise comment counts for more than a long letter.

1. Consult the file on participation.bordeaux-metropole.fr, or in paper form in the 28 town halls and at Bordeaux Métropole (Laure-Gatet building, 41 cours du Maréchal-Juin, Bordeaux).
2. Locate your plot: its current zoning on the Géoportail de l'urbanisme (the national planning map portal), then the map of natural land in the file.
3. Write a precise comment: address or cadastral reference, what you are planning, what you are asking for.
4. Submit it before 20 November at 5 pm: online register (“Donnez votre avis”), paper register at the town hall, email to plu@bordeaux-metropole.fr or post to Bordeaux Métropole, Direction de l'urbanisme, service planification, 3e modification simplifiée du PLU, esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, 33045 Bordeaux Cedex (the postmark is proof of the date).

The urban planning department answers questions on 05 33 89 56 56. At the end of the consultation, the Council of Bordeaux Métropole will adopt its summary report, which can be consulted online and in the town halls.

Your building project: should you hurry?

For a house extension or an upward extension, there is no need to rush: submit your application when the project is ready, after first checking the rules in force. Our article on choosing between an upward extension and an extension details the points to look at, and the one on applying for planning permission online explains how to submit. Also bear in mind the development tax on an extension.

If you are planning to build on a large plot or to subdivide it, an operational planning certificate (certificat d'urbanisme opérationnel) is a useful precaution: for 18 months, the planning rules in force on its date cannot be called into question, except for public safety or public health.

How we support you

In the Gironde, we read the PLU for your plot before drawing up any project: zoning, heights, footprint, setbacks, green spaces to be retained. For an extension, an upward extension or a complete renovation, discover our services: we coordinate the formalities and all the trades.

Sources : Bordeaux Métropole, « PLU 3.1 : réduction de la consommation des espaces naturels, agricoles et forestiers », concertation du 20 octobre au 20 novembre 2026 (avis d’ouverture du 2 octobre 2026 et dossier de concertation) · Bordeaux Métropole, délibération n° 2026-430 du 25 septembre 2026 (poursuite de la concertation et actualisation du dossier de la 3e modification simplifiée du PLU 3.1) · Schéma de cohérence territoriale de l’aire métropolitaine bordelaise, révision approuvée le 11 décembre 2025 (SYSDAU) · Loi n° 2021-1104 du 22 août 2021 « Climat et résilience », article 194 (trajectoire zéro artificialisation nette, échéance du 22 février 2028 pour les PLU) · Code de l’urbanisme, article L. 103-2 (concertation) et article L. 410-1 (certificat d’urbanisme, règles figées 18 mois) · geoportail-urbanisme.gouv.fr