Neighbour walls off road in France after dispute, leaving residents trapped
Three households no longer have access to public roads or emergency services
Residents initially pushed the wall over but it was rebuilt, blocking them in
Krailath/Shutterstock
Residents of a street in Mougins (Alpes-Maritimes) have been left trapped after a neighbour built a wall blocking their road.
The concrete breeze block wall was constructed across the Chemin des Argelas during the night on Tuesday (April 7), cutting off access to around three households and a construction company’s depot.
The man responsible for building the wall reportedly sparked an ongoing neighbourhood dispute due to plans to construct a new property in the area.
“People thought it was an April Fool’s joke,” one of the residents, Phillippe Chessé told Nice Matin.
“When I went out to walk my dog, the builders were already halfway up the wall and there were three of them. So I quickly ran over to [my neighbour’s house] and together we pushed the wall down. But they rebuilt it - they put the breeze blocks back in place,” said another resident, Emma Duchamp, who had to cancel a doctor’s appointment for her son due to the circumstances.
“When the owner arrived, we had a row. I asked him what he was doing, and he replied that he would do whatever he wanted, that it was his property,” added Ms Duchamp.
A valid building permit
The mayor of Mougins, Christophe Ulivieri, has clarified that the man responsible for the wall did hold a valid building permit (permis de construire). However, the legal document does not mention that the road is the sole means of access for surrounding homes and the owners of the plots have not submitted any appeals to inform the council that residents would be blocked in.
Mr Ulivieri said that the issue must be resolved by the property owners in court to prove that homes are now inaccessible - however he will be asking the neighbour to respect the droit de passage sanitaire, ensuring emergency service vehicles have access to the impacted properties.
France’s code général des collectivités territoriales states that fire engines and ambulances have the right to go anywhere, including on private roads, in order to respond to emergencies.
Since the construction of the wall, another resident has agreed to let the trapped neighbours cross his field on foot to exit their homes, however this land is reportedly bumpy and overgrown.
In the meantime, the town’s planning office must review the building permit to check whether the concrete wall can be taken down, however the court may intervene if the road block is deemed dangerous or illegal.
The local police are also providing food supplies to affected residents.
Advice for dealing with similar situations
Building permits which meet all town planning and technical requirements can still be challenged in the French courts.
Before talking to a lawyer, you should prepare a solid file with before and after photographs and statements from residents or members of a household about how the issue has impacted them.
You could also seek an estimate of the loss of value to your property.
