ATA/128/1997•Building by-law as zoning plan; limits on derogations
ATA/128/1997Court of Justice / Administrative ChamberFeb 18, 1997Dismissed
Extracted by Omnilex
The dispute concerned a construction permit in Bernex. The court held that the Bernex building regulations are a zoning plan with legal force under Art. 14 LAT. It further held that a derogation from the plan’s density index was unlawful because it relied on general considerations applicable to all building land and would in substance amend the plan without following the statutory amendment procedure. The court also stated that the permit did not satisfy coordination requirements because it failed to take a tree-felling authorization into account; the permit could have been annulled on that basis.
Art. 14 LAT; Art. 19 al. 2 LALAT; conditions for derogations from a land-use plan and coordination of related authorizations. A communal building by-law may constitute a land-use plan when it has normative allocation effects. A derogation is impermissible where it rests on considerations of general scope applicable to the whole building zone and would in substance modify the plan by depriving it of its content, thereby circumventing the statutory procedures for plan amendment. Where a construction permit depends on related environmental or forestry approvals, material and formal coordination requires that these decisions be considered together; failure to integrate a tree-felling authorization may justify annulment (consid. unspecified).
Descripteurs
CONSTRUCTION ET INSTALLATION; AUTORISATION(EN GENERAL); 4E ZONE B; AUTORISATION DEROGATOIRE(EN GENERAL); PLAN DE ZONES; PLAN D'AFFECTATION; COLLABORATION ENTRE AUTORITES; ORGANISATION(PROCEDURE); PROCEDURE; TPE
Normes
LEXT.15; LALAT.19 al.2
Résumé
- Le règlement de construction de Bernex est un plan d'affectation qui a une portée juridique.
- Une dérogation à la densité de construction selon le plan d'affectation revient à violer la substance de ses dispositions.
- La délivrance de l'autorisation de construire ne respecte pas l'exigence de coordination dans la mesure où elle ne prend pas en compte une autorisation d'abattage d'arbres. L'autorisation aurait pu être annulée pour ce motif. Rappel de la jurisprudencee en matière de coordination matérielle et formelle des décisions fondées sur le droit fédéral de l'environnement ou de l'aménagement du territoire. Le règlement de construction du village de Bernex est un plan d'affectation (art. 14 LAT). Conditions posées à l'octroi de dérogation en matière de constructions. Une dérogation à l'indice d'utilisation du sol fixé dans le plan d'affectation ne saurait être accordée dès lors que, d'une part, elle est fondée sur des considérations qui sont valables pour l'ensemble des terrains à bâtir du canton et qui n'ont rien de particulier au projet concerné et, d'autre part, elle reviendrait à modifier le plan d'affectation en le vidant de sa substance et en ne respectant pas les formes prévues par la loi pour une telle modification.
Extracted by Omnilex
Whether the Bernex building regulations are a land-use plan with legal effect under Art. 14 LAT.
Yes. The Bernex building regulations constitute a zoning plan and therefore have binding legal effect.
The court treated the regulations as an affectation plan because they allocate use and density in a legally binding manner.
Whether a derogation from the building density fixed by the zoning plan could be granted.
No. A derogation that effectively changes the plan’s density rules is impermissible when based on reasons that apply generally to all building land and would empty the plan of its substance.
Granting the derogation would circumvent the formal requirements for amending the zoning plan and would alter its essential content rather than merely allow a project-specific exception.
Whether the building permit complied with the coordination requirement despite not taking the tree-felling authorization into account.
No. The permit was not coordinated properly because the tree-felling authorization had not been integrated into the decision-making process.
Material and formal coordination require that related environmental and planning decisions be considered together; the permit could have been annulled on this ground.
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