Living in a quaint village is the dream of most who wish to move to France. Nothing sounds more idyllic than wandering through cobbled streets, immersing yourself in a small community and enjoying everything that the countryside has to offer. And now, some French villages are appealing for new residents to move in.
The likes of Spain and Italy have previously launched schemes to attract buyers to their empty towns and villages, even introducing cash incentives and €1 properties! Unfortunately, France hasn’t quite gone to these lengths, instead opting for a scheme coined Opération Séduction.
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Opération Séduction is a series of open days organised by the local authorities in partnership with estate agents. These days involve open houses across a range of properties, as well as shops for sale, warehouses and even hectares of land available to purchase. The aim is to attract new residents and boost the local economy.
Where is Opération Séduction taking place?
Between 2019 and 2020, Opération Séduction took place in the towns of Jussey, Faverney and Amance. Success has been seen across the board, with plans to build new houses in Jussey to increase its expansion. The former mayor of the town, Olivier Rietmann, said, “The results have been super positive since the first year, in 2019.”
Following this success, attention has now turned to the town of Lure. Lure is a peaceful town in eastern France, situated in the beautiful Burgundy-Franche-Comté region. Located at the gates of the Ballons des Vosges Natural Park, it was once the site of Lure Abbey. With 8,394 residents, it is a two-hour drive from the regional capital of Dijon and 30 minutes from the city of Montbéliard. It’s also only a three-hour drive to Geneva and is an ideal spot if you wish to pay a visit to the Alps for a skiing holiday.
However, Lure is crying out for residents and the town centre is in need of investment. The ageing population, the loss of public services over the years, including the closure of its prison and some hospital facilities, have caused the population to dwindle. However, there are plans to revitalise the town with new infrastructure and attract new residents through Opération Séduction.
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As reported by franceinfo, half of all shops are for sale and 10% of these are empty. City councillor, Virginie Luthringer, said that the open days, which started on September 25, present “70 properties to visit […]. Individuals can find what they are looking for, investors and also entrepreneurs.”
It is hoped that Lure will follow in the same footsteps as Jussey, which has attracted more residents and has started to see the area come to life again. If you’re planning to move to France in the near future, perhaps Lure could ‘lure’ you in!
