Traveller reception areas

This public policy stems from the July 5, 2000 law on the reception and housing of Travellers and the resulting departmental plans. This law obliges municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants to set aside serviced sites (reception areas or "aires de grands passages") for Travellers.

The Metropole manages:

• 4 reception areas, each with 40 places,
• 4 "grand passage" areas, each with 150 to 180 places,
• 12 family sites

Travelers can stay from a few days to several months.

As a result:

• Indiscriminating installations are forbidden both on public land and on the private property of others.
• The reception of Travellers wishing to park in the Metropole is strictly regulated. Facilities are available for this purpose.
• Parking is always for a limited period. Payment is required

The reception of travelers is a legal obligation for territories, defined by the so-called "Besson" law n°2000-614 of July 05, 2000 relating to the reception and housing of travelers.

These facilities must comply with precise planning and equipment rules set out in application decrees no. 2001-569 of June 29, 2001, no. 2003-76 of December 17, 2003 and no. 2019-1478 of December 26, 2019 concerning reception areas and family sites, as well as that of March 5, 2019 concerning large-scale stopping areas no. 2019-171.

In each département, the State and the Département co-pilot/draw up a Schéma départemental d'accueil et d'habitat des gens du voyage (SDAHGDV), a planning tool that prescribes the facilities to be built at département level. It is revised every 6 years, following an assessment of the previous scheme and a diagnosis of needs.

Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole finances the creation, development and maintenance of these areas. Rates are voted by deliberation each year and are applicable to all reception areas, staging areas and family sites.

The reception areas are open to Travellers, for stays ranging from a few days to several months. The reception service, which regulates the arrival and departure of families, is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 12:30pm and from 1:30pm to 5pm at each facility. Saturdays on request and by appointment from 9am to 5pm via a telephone hotline for all areas.

Settlement arrangements at a reception area:

Authorization to stay at a reception area is granted by the reception area manager, subject to availability, on presentation by the user of the following valid documents:

• Piece of identity
• Family record book
• Gray card of the main caravan
• Attestation of insurance covering the rolling stock or not
• Attestation of insurance " civil liability"
• Contradictory inventory of fixtures on arrival
• Surrender of a deposit
• Formalized acceptance of the house rules
• Advance payment on the remote management prepayment system :
  • Daily occupancy fee
  • Fluids (water + electricity)

Each family undertakes to respect the internal regulations for the duration of their stay, the agents and the metropolitan facilities.

Practical regulations

• Welcome families living in mobile homes for 4 months, with the possibility of an exemption during the school term for a further 2 months if accepted.
• Plots:
  • Organization of permanent reception areas in demarcated pitches (1 pitch = 2 caravan spaces)
  • Individualized pitches each including a toilet block, supplied with water and electricity via individual meters with a pre-payment system for fluids.

A manager present 5 days a week, with a Saturday hotline:

• He supervises families' stays
• He collects payments for utilities and pitches
• He interfaces with partners
• He ensures compliance with the site rules

Stays are authorized for a maximum duration of 2 consecutive weeks.

Stays must be the subject of an official request by letter addressed to the President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole at least 15 days before the planned date of passage. Requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to the availability of the site.

An agreement for the use of the site is signed between the group leader and the representative of the Metropole, including the payment of a deposit, the amount of which is set by deliberation of the Conseil Communautaire.

The rate and right of use are determined by deliberation of the Conseil Communautaire.

An inventory of fixtures and fittings is carried out jointly by the Urban Community manager and the group leader on the arrival and departure of the group of Travellers.

Practical regulations

• Welcome groups of Travellers on the occasion of traditional gatherings.
• Securely manage the arrival of groups on weekdays, in partnership with the State and public tranquillity services.
• Able to accommodate between 50 and 150 caravans.
• Short duration of stay: 1 to 2 weeks
• A dedicated site with basic layout:
  • A fluid distribution network adapted to usage and personal safety
  • Securing equipment to prevent intrusion outside the season

What supervision of the site?

• The conditions of stay and the amount of participation (site fee + security deposit) are set by internal regulations
• A departmental coordination of large-scale passages
• 2 managers, agents of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole responsible for collection, signing the IR and occupancy agreements, setting up waste collection...
• A temporary agreement signed on the arrival of groups, specifying the rights and obligations of occupants.
• A pastor to supervise the group within the site and ensure compliance with the internal regulations.

In contrast to the "aire d'accueil" for itinerants, the "terrain familial" (family plot) responds to a demand from families for territorial anchorage through the enjoyment of a stable, equipped and private place, without having to give up traveling for part of the year. It's a private space akin to renting land.

Each plot, fenced and connected to a sewage system, has at least:

• A space reserved for parking
• A kitchen area
• A toilet block comprising at least one washbasin, shower and WC
• Individual meters for water and electricity
• The provision of household and similar waste collection under the same conditions as for the inhabitants of the l'EPCI

Practical regulations

• A household can only be allocated one public rental family plot
• The allocation is managed by Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
• Actual payment for fluids.

These facilities are new prescriptions of the Schéma départemental d'accueil et d'habitat des gens du voyage (SDAHGDV) in force since 2019. As part of the new Schéma Départemental de l'Hérault, these Terrains familiaux are in the process of being transformed into Habitats Adaptés, which are more appropriate, due to a fully sedentarized population.