In La Baule, There is Also Social Housing and this HLM City will Undergo Major Rehabilitation

La Baule is known for its sea-facing buildings and beautiful villas. But it also has social housing. Those in the Cité des Rochers will be extensively renovated.

The Loire-Atlantique Departmental Council validated in the standing committee of the 18th September 2025 an investment subsidy of 2 M€ which will be allocated to the social landlord Habitat 44.

This sum will be invested in the program he is putting in place to give a second life to the Cité des Rochers in La Baule which must now be called the Hameau du Roche.

Inaugurated in 1964, the Cité du Rocher is a stone’s throw northeast of the city center, and today has 150 housing units spread across five buildings.

Creation of 15 housing units

“This complex has already benefited since the 2010s from several interventions by Habitat 44 to improve its comfort of use, but which have proven insufficient”, underlined the mayor Franck Louvrier during the municipal council meeting at the end of September.

“The site has long required significant rehabilitation to structurally improve the comfort of all of its housing which has become obsolete, and restore attractiveness to the neighborhood. “

At the end of a joint reflection nourished for several years and supported by the diagnosis established by the Council of Architecture, Town Planning and the Environment (CAUE), the City of La Baule-Escoublac with Danielle Rival (deputy for town planning – Editor’s note), the town planning department and Habitat 44 managed to define a very ambitious work program which our council unanimously validated at the end of June, continued the elected official.

A total cost of 18.5 M€

This rehabilitation will involve a complete renovation of housing according to BBC (Low Consumption Buildings) standards, making it possible to considerably improve their energy classification and the passage of a DPE (Energy Performance Diagnosis, from E to B); an overall improvement in the functionalities of housing better adapted to the demands of residents, such as the creation of balconies and the complete renovation of bathrooms; the construction of 15 new housing units made accessible to people with reduced mobility thanks to the installation of an elevator; the requalification of common outdoor spaces and their connection to the urban environment.

Ultimately, the Hameau du Rocher will therefore include 160 housing units, or 10 more than currently.

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Financially, it is “a major rehabilitation operation” representing a total cost of approximately 18.5 M€, including 2.5 for the City.

But it is made possible because it is eligible for the “Second life” social housing system which gives entitlement to specific aid and financing, such as the VAT rate reduced to 5.5%, exemption from property tax on properties built during 25 years estimated at 3.2 M€ and access to subsidized loans.

The State and the Banque des Territoires will also contribute to the financial support of the operation, as well as the Cap Atlantique La Baule-Guérande Agglo agglomeration community to the tune of 96,000€.

Delivery planned for early 2029

The City, which is far from having sufficient social housing under the law, “will subsequently be able to deduct from its SRU penalties the sum of 1.40 M€ which corresponds to the creation of new housing”, indicated Franck Louvrier.

The budget having now been completed, the administrative phase of authorizations and the submission of building permits will now begin.

Work is expected to begin at the end of 2026 for a scheduled duration of approximately two years, with delivery scheduled for early 2029.