In Dijon, the "only urban ZAD in France" ready for an agreement with the town hall

The hundred or so squatters, who have occupied more than eight hectares of former market garden land for more than 15 years, have agreed to found "an association which would sign a contract with the town hall," one of their spokespersons said.

The city has been demanding for many years that the occupants "regularize" their situation, with the mayor, Socialist Nathalie Koenders, threatening to launch eviction proceedings in October.

The squatters also indicated that they would give up 1,14 hectares of land where the city plans to build 60 social housing units. The city hall has promised not to build on the remaining site.

"We welcome their proposed agreement," Philippe Lémenceau, vice-president of Dijon Métropole, which is leading the negotiations, told AFP. "It is essential to emerge with our heads held high and in a peaceful manner. There are so many examples of ZADs that have ended badly," he added.

The town hall has long been offering squatters the opportunity to form a legal entity, such as an association, in order to sign a "land availability agreement."

The latter is not a lease but an occupancy contract that would allow the ZADists to continue living according to their "alternative philosophy." "The challenge is to mutually respect their aspirations and expectations," added Mr. Lémenceau, specifying that the payment of any rent, water, and electricity, which the squatters are currently not paying, remains to be negotiated.

The negotiator said he wanted to reach a formal agreement "as quickly as possible," recalling the approach of the municipal elections in March 2026.

The "self-managed neighborhood" of Lentillères was created in March 2010 on former market garden land, where local residents still cultivate small plots, to prevent a real estate project of 1.400 homes, which has since been abandoned.

The squatters claim to be defending a kind of alternative world on the site, united and free from market logic. In 2023, former Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin described the squat as "France's only urban ZAD," ranking it among 42 sites likely to "give rise to extremely violent protests."