Integration of land sobriety objectives into SCoTs: the Federation publishes an unprecedented report

While the TRACE Act plans to modify the deadlines and objectives initially set out in the Climate and Resilience Act, and the National Assembly is preparing to consider its own proposed law, the consultation by the National Federation of SCoTs reveals that the vast majority of territories are already engaged in amending their urban planning documents. This work represents, to date, a total investment of more than €62 million.

Last March, the National Federation of SCoTs called on senators to address the real needs of local authorities during discussions on the TRACE bill. It challenged the objective of this new legislative change, the third in four years, while elected officials from the local bloc are now calling for stability and the implementation of dedicated support in matters of taxation, financing, and engineering.

As the National Assembly prepares to table its own bill on the subject, the National Federation of SCoTs wished to consult all public establishments to determine precisely the level of progress in integrating the land sobriety trajectory into their SCoTs.

As a reminder, under current legislation, SCoTs are required to integrate the land objectives of the Climate & Resilience Act by February 2027 (document approved and enforceable), PLU(i) by February 2028, and SRADDETs are expected to have integrated them since November 2024. There are currently 447 public establishments with SCoTs covering 97% of the population and 86% of municipalities.

The questionnaire was sent to all areas with SCoTs in France. It collected responses from 303 structures (67,8% of the 447), or 775 Public Intercommunal Cooperation Establishments (EPCI), from April 7 to 24, 2025.

Among the main lessons of this consultation:

Local elected officials have worked extensively on integrating the objectives of the Climate & Resilience Act: 69,2% of territories are in the process of modifying their document and 17,9% plan to do so in the short term.

59,3% of SCoTs have already discussed their strategic development project, which incorporates the land sobriety trajectory of the Climate & Resilience Act. Only 16,8% of territories have put their work on hold, half of them due to the PPL TRACE.

The vast majority of SCoT documents currently being modified or revised will be at the project stoppage stage before the municipal elections in April 2026.

Local authorities have mobilized more than 62.500.000 euros to modify their territorial SCoT strategy and comply with the legal obligations of the Climate & Resilience law.

For Michel Heinrich, president of the National Federation of SCoTs: "The results of this unprecedented consultation reveal that the local bloc has become aware of the challenges of the Climate and Resilience Act. Local elected officials everywhere are evolving their planning strategies, particularly to address the effects of climate change. MPs can now support them by addressing their expectations: stability, taxation, financing, and engineering. These are the real priorities."

This consultation aims both to inform the discussions of the deputies and to highlight the mobilization of local elected officials who have already worked hard to rise to the challenges of the Climate and Resilience Law.

The results of the consultation launched by the National Federation of SCoTs are available here.