The west side of Toulouse : the ingredients of success

From towns on a human scale to rural villages, communes to the west of the city exert a strong power of attraction on the population of Haute-Garonne. The last few censuses clearly prove the point. Spotlight on Tourne­feuille, Plaisance-du-Touch and Pibrac…

Standing on the River Touch, Tournefeuille officially came into being in the Middle Ages. Fast forward to the 1960’s, when its population figures began to soar, setting a trend that has since continued. Today it plays host to 26,000 people. Together with Toulouse, Tournefeuille manages the leis­ure centre La Ramée and its lakes, much appreciated by fans of sailing. With a fondness for culture, the local­ity offers an independent Utopia cinema, a concert hall seating audiences of up to 3,500 and hosting the “Fest­ival Marionnettissimo”. L’Usine is a creative centre dedicated to street arts. Plaisance-du-Touch lies in the second ring around Toulouse, 15 km from its centre, 20 km from Le Gers and 15 minutes from the Blagnac airport and nearest metro. For its 15,100 residents, it offers an ideal comp­romise between an urban and rural setting. Its popul­ation has tripled over the past 25 years. Amen­ities have been developed, shops and companies have opened their doors. The banks of the River Touch, protected and wooded areas, and the François-Soula lake extend their invitations for leisurely walks, while golfers head for the greens of Le Téoula. Pibrac, with 8,500 inhabitants, owes its reputation to its castle built of red brick, open­ing out to a luxuriant park, and religious monuments such as the Sainte-Germaine Basilica and Church of Marie-Madeleine. Part of the forest of La Bouconne - a “massif” of 6,670 acres with a swimming pool, tennis courts, a mini-golf, picnic area and renowned riding centre - lies on its territory. This luxuriant commune, on the Matabiau-Auch railway line, is thus accessible by road, but also by train.

“Tournefeuille is a residential town, at the gateway to Toulouse,” says Henri Sarrans of Guy Hoquet l’Immobilier. “A public transport system links it to the capital of Haute-Garonne. In addition to lots of SMEs, the area benefits from a buoyant economic scene with names such as Airbus, Alcatel, Thalès, Cap Gemini, Air France and the Mérieux laboratories.” The housing is mostly low-rise ; each neighbourhood has its own primary school ; cycling trails and some 160 associations add their appeal to local life. Here, demand clearly outstrips supply. A 3-bedroom house with a garden of 500 m2 ranges from 280,000 to 300,000 €. For individual housing, the sq. metre is pegged between 2,800 and 3,000 €. Apartments, pretty thin on the ground, are slightly more expensive. According to the agency’s figures, the aver­age budget lies between 350,000 and 400,000 €. Out of every ten sales, three are above 400,000 €. Recently, a client transferred from Paris paid 790,000 € for a newish single-storey house of 200 m2 in grounds of 1500 m2, benefitting from a pool. The percentage of home-owners and the share of the higher socio profes­sional category are significant indicators. The market is under pressure : the municipality finds it hard to integrate all these new-comers, espec­ially as building land is soon likely to run out.

“An area that is not densely built-up, lots of woods and a village atmosphere… The attributes offered by Pibrac guarantee real enthus­iasm on the part of buyers, here faced by a narrow and highly-prized market” says Arnaud Antraygues of Une Autre Agence. “Its classification as a green zone reassures them with regard to the future, and the management of migrat­ory flows.” Consequently, prices are slightly higher than in Plaisance, characterized by a mixed bag of accommodation and generous building land. Employment poles are very dynamic, starting with the aeronautics industry in Blagnac and the Greater Toulouse. Currently, the appropriate bodies are discussing a project for the former Francazal military site in Cugnaux, involv­ing the movie-making sector. Depending on its appointments, a standard 4-bedroom house with a garden of 800 m2 costs from 300,000 to 400,000 €. This is, in fact, the most widely targetted type of home in Pibrac, where­as it would cost 250,000 to 350,000 € in Plaisance, which is also more affordable than Tournefeuille. By way of example, one agency is asking 260,000 € for a house of 105 m2 to be sold on plans with a garden of 500 m2, and 170,000 € for a 2-bedroom apartment of 66 m2 with a terrace and park­ing place. Apartments are priced from 2,500 to 2,800 €/m2 in older buildings, and around 3,000 €/m2 in new residences. Pibrac, which has a large com­munity of English and German residents, posts prices which are significantly lower while benefitting from a highly-rated private school and the proximity of an international college, appreciated by executives working for Airbus, an excellent provider of clients.

“In the coming years, a public transport system may link Plaisance to Toulouse,” comments Sandrine Lannoy of SLC Immobilier & SLC Prestige. “At the crossroads of the latter, in Colomiers and La Salvetat, a shopping centre of 60,000 m2 christened “Les Portes de Gascogne” should be opening its doors. There are lots of projects in the pipeline, and the aerospatial industry is an essential lever for growth to the west.” Plaisance proposes a diverse array of housing. With a portfolio mainly comprised of properties betwen 500,000 and 1 million euros, the agency deals with the middle and top end of the range. Transferees with hefty budgets readily pay from 450,000 to 600,000 €, if they can obtain contemporary appointments, three/four bedrooms, bright and generous lounges, prime materials, sophisticated home automation, and a heated and fully equipped pool. A few 50 year-olds from within the region pay from 600,000 to 1 million euros for houses they intend to enjoy as rewards for a lifetime of work ; living space of 200-250 m2, modern decor and an attractively landscaped garden of at least 1,000 m2. They give priority to the quality of the location and the relationship between the property’s interior and exterior. For in these cases, the aim is to take full advantage of their homes, the sun and other assets offered by the region. “A villa meeting all these criteria costs at least 3,100 €/m2,” says the manageress of SLC, a strong advocate of professionaliz­ation of the real-estate trade and values such as training, specialization and well-targeted communication.