Architectural heritage

Introduction to the town’s heritage  On 2nd July 1997, the Municipal Council agreed to commission a study aiming to establish an area  within the community (ZPPAUP or Zone de protection du patrimoine architectural urbain et paysager), which would protect the architectural heritage of both the town and the surrounding countryside. So the community had to strengthen and re-think its approach to preserving its architecture. For instance, until that date, there was only one entry listed in Is-sur-Tille’s inventory of historic monuments: the "Hôtel Le Compasseur de Courtivron" in rue Docteur Brulet.

L'hôtel Le Compasseur de Courtivron

Before the ZPPAUP came into force, a 500 metre-wide circular protected area started from the  "Hôtel Le Compasseur de Courtivron" and included not only houses considered of historical interest but many others not defined in this way. The outcome was an agreement to identify carefully and precisely an area which took in the town centre and only included those public buildings and recreational areas for which protection is necessary.

Regulations concerning the new protected area include certain controls on demolishing old buildings and constructing new ones, as well as on the facilities for housing and public recreational use.

Establishing the ZPPAUP will in the long run  improve the architectural quality of buildings as they are restored. It has already increased interest in the local community and brought renewed concern for its rich history. It has contributed to a re-awakening of interest in the town’s architectural riches which were under threat.

Translated by Graham Paterson