In Mandelieu-la-Napoule, the height at which an electrical panel is installed is not a matter of comfort: it is a requirement of the flood risk prevention plan. L’AGENCE Interior Design carries out comprehensive renovations, layouts, custom fittings, and decoration from its Cannes office located about ten kilometers away, integrating these constraints into the plan rather than at the end of the project.
The PPRI: the constraint no one reads before signing a quote
The municipality has its own flood risk prevention plan (PPRI), approved by prefectural decree on October 15, 2021. It replaced the 2003 plan for the municipal territory, which had become insufficient: the floods of October 3, 2015, had exceeded the reference flood level used at the time. It covers the entire territory and concerns the Siagne and its tributaries, the drainage network of the lower valley, as well as the Riou de l’Argentière and its valleys.
What matters for a renovation project is the section dedicated to existing buildings. The regulations make hierarchical requirements mandatory, up to a limit of 10% of the property’s market value and within five years of the plan’s approval, unless a technical impossibility is certified by a qualified professional. In other words: these are not recommendations, and the 10% cap does not exempt one from acting; it limits the expenditure.
Three of these requirements fall directly within our design scope. Electrical equipment and water-sensitive materials—electrical panels, ventilation units, air conditioning—must be raised twenty centimeters above the reference level: on an apartment plan, this moves the panel, sometimes from one room to another, and this must be decided before designing storage units. Openings located below this level must be fitted with a sealing system, which requires compatible thresholds. And in the most exposed areas, a refuge zone must be created. The regulations also recommend, without imposing, water-resistant materials below the reference level: joinery, partitions, coverings, and insulation. We detail each of these requirements, including what is mandatory and what is recommended, in our article on renovation in flood zones in Mandelieu.
Seaside property: a unique renovation case
Between the port of La Napoule, the golf courses, and the seafront, Mandelieu’s housing stock is largely collective and largely dated: 82.3% of dwellings are apartments, and 53.8% of primary residences were completed between 1971 and 1990. Adding the 1991-2005 period, nearly three out of four homes date from the 1970s to 2005.
Furthermore, the municipality has 42.4% secondary residences and occasional housing, a share that has been increasing for ten years, and 32.8% of its inhabitants are 65 or older. Two project profiles emerge: the holiday home to be upgraded, and the home to be adapted for aging in place. They do not require the same plans.
These properties have high potential and real constraints: compact surfaces where every square meter counts, loggias to be integrated or reopened, partitioned kitchens that cut off the living area from the view, original bathrooms to be redone including plumbing, and marine exposure that affects hardware. In fifty square meters, a planning error is felt every day: this is the field where a layout designed for the space changes both the functional value and the resale value.
Our closest projects
We carried out this exercise in Cannes, on Rue d’Antibes, for the Victoria project: two adjacent apartments combined into a single 70 m² home, full-height pivot doors, and cornices highlighted by subtle lighting. The logic is the same in Mandelieu, except that the property there is most often a secondary residence. The municipality is about ten kilometers from the office, or thirteen to twenty minutes outside peak hours: the same companies are consulted, weekly site meetings are held, and more frequent visits occur at the end of the project.
Our closest documented references are in Cannes, in the neighboring municipality: Romana, a 90 m² ground-floor villa redesigned with Parisian codes, custom-designed glass partitions and furniture, and Sainte-Madeleine, a 220 m² architect-designed villa in the Californie district, whose layout was reorganized around the view. Details can be found in our projects.
What permits are required in Mandelieu?
Two lesser-known easements govern projects in Mandelieu, and they are surprising because they apply to the entire municipality.
The entire territory is included in the registered site “Coastal Strip from Nice to Théoule,” registered by decree on October 10, 1974. In a registered site, the environmental code requires notifying the administration four months in advance for work other than routine maintenance. Part of the territory is also included in the classified site of the Eastern Estérel massif, classified by decree on January 3, 1996, and the Château de La Napoule and its gardens have been registered as historical monuments since January 6, 1947, which generates protection for the surrounding areas.
The municipality is also covered by a forest fire risk prevention plan, the revision of which was approved on July 27, 2021, and modified on August 26, 2024: it occupies the eastern slopes of the Tanneron massif, with its southwestern part resting on the foothills of the Estérel. This results in a legal obligation for brush clearing which, in the Alpes-Maritimes and in urban areas, applies to the entire plot as soon as it is wooded or located less than two hundred meters from a forest massif.
None of this prevents interior renovation. However, these regulations determine which permits to process, in what order, and with what deadlines, as soon as the project affects a facade, exterior joinery, a terrace, or a tree. This is a check we perform during the survey, before finalizing the project.
Frequently Asked Questions
My apartment is in a flood zone: can I still renovate it?
Yes. The PPRI does not block a renovation; it imposes requirements on the existing structure, up to a limit of 10% of the property’s market value. The main ones are raising sensitive electrical equipment twenty centimeters above the reference level, sealing openings located below this level, and in certain areas, creating a refuge zone. We identify the zone and the level applicable to your plot before designing.
Do I need to choose specific materials?
The regulations recommend it without imposing it: below the reference level plus twenty centimeters, it suggests water-resistant materials for joinery, partitions, coverings, and insulation. We present this recommendation as it is, with its cost and benefit, and you decide. By the sea, the question of hardware and fittings arises in the same way.
Do you work in the marina and seafront residences?
Yes. These co-ownerships impose specific site rules: schedules, access, elevator dimensions, rubble collection points, and sometimes seasonal restrictions. We identify them during the consultation visit and integrate them into the tender documents, so that companies quote for reality rather than the most favorable hypothesis.
How do you handle a loggia?
Three options, to be decided according to the co-ownership regulations, exposure, and the PPRI: leave it as an outdoor space and treat it as a seasonal living room, close it to integrate it into the heated volume where authorized, or open it further onto the living area. The choice is made during the survey, because it determines the joinery and therefore the budget.
Is a permit required to touch the facade or a terrace?
Most likely. The entire municipality is a registered site, which requires notifying the administration four months before work other than maintenance, and part of the territory falls under a classified site or the surroundings of the Château de La Napoule. We identify the regulations applicable to your plot at the time of the survey.
