Planning permission was granted in August 2022 for the renovation of the old town hall and the creation of a Ménerbes heritage museum in the ruined adjoining building.
We have nothing against the very principle of this project, even if its financing and operating costs are likely to weigh heavily on the commune's finances.

The proposed facade is surprisingly contemporary, despite the fact that this building is listed as a remarkable building in the SPR regulations, in the category of "listed" buildings, implying that any intervention must be carried out "in a spirit of conservation and restoration with reference to the architecture of the building's period" and under the control of the Architectes des Bâtiments de France.

An appeal was lodged on the grounds of non-compliance with this text (Article A.1 of the SPR), as well as with Article A.5.4 of the SPR, which stipulates that: "any modification to the facade other than to restore it to its original state is prohibited on remarkable buildings".

However, all these articles are written in bold in the regulations, which corresponds to a prescription (obligation).

The ABF are at work, based on the so-called principle that you can't build in 2023 as you would have done in 1850, in defiance of current legislation.

This ideological point of view also contradicts the fact that the SPR allows contemporary buildings to adopt a "Provençal" style.

Other points are also raised: lack of dedicated parking, non-compliance with certain SPR architectural rules...

The judgement is pending (updated December 2024), and the Town Hall has taken the risk of building without waiting for the outcome of the proceedings.