€700 to add colour to Brest
Residents in Brest have taken up the chance to brighten up the town after the mairie announced it would pay them for giving their houses or facades a coat of paint – as long as it was bright.
It can mean sums from €700 to €1,400 or more if residents persuade others to join in.
Largely destroyed in the Second World War by U.S. bombing, the Finistère town was rebuilt just afterwards but, despite repeated mairie campaigns to cheer it up, has long been known for its grey skies and grey buildings.
Now it is targeting buildings in the main streets to revitalise the centre while also supporting residents’ joint initiatives in other streets. The aim is to get residents and visitors to see the town differently and give a new vitality while showing off some of the architecture.
Residents can receive €100 if they paint a house or parts of it themselves, such as shutters, €700 if they use a firm to do it and €1,400 for a building where there are two or more properties. There is also a €100 bonus for anyone persuading their immediate neighbour to join in.
A €35,000 fund has been set aside and it is aimed so groups of neighbours in a street will agree to have enough work done to give a new look. The fund is open until January 2020 with the bulk of the painting done this year and next.
Residents can get both technical and financial advice on what needs to be done both for the colours to be used – which ones work well together – as well as how to fund the work.
It is no longer necessary to make a déclaration préalable for the work in many towns but in Brest residents need permission via une demande d’autorisation d’urbanisme.
