Haute-Garonne : the aerospace industry and real estate

The region north-west of Toulouse is developing at the same pace as its aeronautical industry. Aerospace Valley is home to schools and universities focusing on the aerospace sector, no less than 1,300 institutions including Airbus, Air France Industries, Alstom Transport, Dassault Aviation and Thales, providing 94,000 direct jobs including 8,500 research posts.

Blagnac Constellation, a community set up for inter-municipal cooperation, encompasses the towns of Aussonne, Beauzelle, Blagnac, Cornebarrieu, Mondonville and Seilh. The name of SIVOM is, in fact, an allusion to the aviation industry and Airbus workshops, responsible in particular for the dynamic economic development of these same localities. Urbanization and the building of infrastructures are carried out to conform to a consistent and concerted schema. Home to 7,600 inhabitants, Grenade stands at the mouth of the Hers and Save rivers, 25 km north-west of the Prefecture. Private mansions recall its prosperity in the 17th and 18th centuries. Cereals are still grown here, though farming is gradually making way for the construction of residential areas. The Proxima Activity Zone houses the offices of the Save & Garonne community of communes, and about 40 firms that complement the boutiques in its centre and the shopping mall on the Route de Toulouse. On the plateau, Merville is home to 4,600 residents. The castle is a fine illustration of the 18th-century architecture and art of gardening in the Midi Toulousain. The 6 km of hedges comprising the boxwood labyrinth deserve a special mention.

Siham Matta of the agency Concret Immo works mainly on Beauzelle, Aussonne and Seilh, three communities close to the “Pink City”. The tramline, currently under construction, should soon, in fact, serve Beauzelle. Young engineers and technicians mostly pay under 250,000 € for 3-bedroom terraced houses or apartments. A 1-bedroom apartment facing the greens at Seilh costs from 90,000 to 110,000 €, while the classic 2-bedroom apartment of 60 m2 attains 140,000-160,000 €. Forty and fifty year-olds embarking upon their second acquisition pay 350,000 € for a detached house of 100-120 m2 with a garden of 600 m2, or similar living space in a gated residence with parking facilities and pool. Straddling Blagnac and Beauzelle, the Andromède area consisting of about 520 acres offers apartments in new, environment-friendly developments. Their high prices face direct competition from those posted by houses. Finally, some top-level executives are willing to pay 600,000 to 800,000 € for desirable villas. The international golf-course and open countryside are the main assets offered by Seilh, which has a high turnover due to the many people transferred to the region for professional purposes. Aussonne proposes older accommodation, partly in need of renovation, available under 270,000 €. About to change its urban planning policy, this locality is envisaging building plots of at least 1,500 m2 to avoid dense concentration. Next door to Blagnac, Beauzelle offers a more residential landscape.

“Originally rural, Grenade and Merville have gradually accommodated employees in the aerospace industry over the years. In moving away from the “City of Violets”, these workers no longer benefit from Toulouse’s public transport. In return, they gain in terms of a quality life-style. The country setting contrasts sharply with the semi-urban areas in the Blagnac Constellation, which are considerably more expensive,” says Laurent Bagur of Atout Immobilier, with a decade of experience in the sector. The drawback is the lack of a secondary school, though there are a lot of healthcare centres and shops. The river Save serves as a natural boundary. Once crossed, nature reigns supreme and building plots of 2,500-3,000 m2 only a 20-30-minute drive from the aerospace zone. In Grenade and Merville, standard houses of 100 m2 (three bedrooms) with gardens of 1,000-1,500 m2 range from 230,000 to 250,000 €. Across the river, the same living space in grounds of 2,500 m2 costs from 200,000 to 230,000 €. 30 to 40 % of clients make their living in the aerospace industry, though the area benefits from the presence of other business zones such as Eurocentre at Castelnau and companies between Toulouse and Montauban. First-time buyers look for village houses under 200,000 €, a rare and therefore relatively expensive commodity. Young executives invest from 200,000 to 260,000 € in their homes, whereas those who are already home-owners, often reaping the benefit of a first sale, can pay 300,000 to 350,000 € for a villa in contemporary style. 80 % of the budgets remain under 300,000 €. Price differences are explained more by modern fixtures and fittings than the amount of living space. The architectural style of the 1980’s, for example, is not very popular. Correctly valued properties complying with buyers’ financial capabilities find takers without too much difficulty.