Bill No. 1126 establishing a master plan for development and planning and containing various provisions relating to urban planning

Bill No. 1126 establishing a master plan for development and planning and containing various provisions relating to urban planning (37 articles), introduced by the Government and received by the Parliament on 1 June 2026, stems from the amendment of parliamentary Draft law No. 265 establishing a master plan for development, which was adopted on 28 November 2024.

Purpose of Bill No. 1126

According to the Explanatory Memorandum to Bill No. 1126:

• the text aims to “equip the Monegasque legal framework with new tools for urban planning and strategy, through a master plan for development and planning ("schéma directeur de développement et d'aménagement" (SDDA) “enabling the establishment of a strategic reference framework for the organisation and development of the Principality’s territory”.
• the provisions relating to the State’s land rights (right of pre-emption) are intended to “strengthen the legal tools at its disposal to enable it to manage the "reconstruction of the city upon the city", a prerequisite for its future development, given the lack of land still available for development. Furthermore, this urbanisation must take place under conditions that guarantee the future quality of life of residents and adaptation to climate change."

The Government also notes that:

• ‘These new measures will increase the administrative workload and will "therefore need to be accompanied by additional human resources and the modernisation of the tools available to the State. Significant forward-looking and cross-departmental work has already been initiated by all the ministerial departments."
• Bill No. 1126 “will form part of a coherent whole alongside other bills that the Government wishes to table before the Bureau of the Parliament as soon as possible, and which will supplement the planning, contractual and financing tools that a modern state must have at its disposal”.
• Budgetary appropriations will be provided for in the budget laws and the multi-annual investment expenditure programme, so that the National Council can “fully ensure the effectiveness of the master plan for development and planning” (SDDA).

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Purpose of the SDDA

To organise the spatial planning of the Principality and ensure that the area remains attractive and that the diversity of urban functions is maintained, in accordance with the following general objectives:

1. To strike a balance between:
   a) urban regeneration, understood as the renewal of the city, the restructuring of urbanised areas, the densification of built-up areas and the reconfiguration of public spaces;
   b) meeting current and future needs in terms of public and private housing, mobility, public facilities, the public interest and support for economic development by providing for sufficient capacity for construction and urban restructuring;
   c) the protection of terrestrial and marine natural areas, parks and gardens, the renaturation of public spaces and the preservation of biodiversity;
   d) urban, architectural and landscape quality that ensures a good quality of life for residents, workers and users of public facilities;
   e) the safeguarding of architectural and urban heritage with remarkable features, and the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.
2. To encourage a shift away from private car use towards alternative modes of transport, to promote the role of sustainable transport and public transport in public spaces, and to improve accessibility for goods and people within the Principality.
3. to take into account:
   a) the prevention of foreseeable natural hazards, technological risks, and pollution and nuisances of any kind;b) the fight against climate change and adaptation to it, the management of energy resources, and energy production from renewable sources;
   c) the controlled management of water resources in order to ensure a supply of drinking water in line with the future needs of the territory of the Principality of Monaco;
4. Promote the principle of universal design for an inclusive society towards people with disabilities or reduced mobility.

Components of the SDDA

1. a forward-looking report
2. a strategic development plan
3. an action programme

Purpose of the forward-looking report

1. An assessment of the territory comprising:
   a) a presentation of the current situation, needs, strengths, weaknesses and challenges facing the Principality of Monaco in terms of the environment, demographics, the economy, urban planning and construction, infrastructure, services and mobility. It describes the current conditions of land and coastal use. It presents existing measures for the preservation of the environment and architectural heritage, as well as those relating to the prevention of natural hazards and adaptation to climate change;b) a forward-looking analysis covering a 20-year horizon of the themes mentioned in the previous paragraph, in particular demography, employment, housing and public facilities.
2. The preliminary guidelines and the significance of the challenges highlighted by the forward-looking analysis.

Purpose of the strategic development plan

IIt defines and sets out the policy objectives for land management and planning over a twenty-year period, based on the forward-looking report, which contribute to the coordination and consistency of public policies falling within the remit of the SDDA across the territory of the Principality of Monaco. The land management and planning objectives take budgetary forecasts into account. They are specified and prioritised for, at a minimum, each of the following sectoral public policies:

• urban planning and quality of life;
• housing;
• mobility;
• key public infrastructure;
• economic, hotel, tourism and cultural development;
• energy transition and sustainable development.

Purpose of the action programme

The action programme, together with any accompanying graphic documents, sets out the conditions for implementing the strategic development plan. Through
sectoral policies, it defines, justifies, prioritises, quantifies and schedules the actions to be implemented. It may provide for:

1. The measures required for the reconstruction of the city within the existing urban fabric and the enhancement of the environment, landscapes and heritage;
2. The enhancement, regeneration, renaturation, restructuring or redevelopment of neighbourhoods or urban areas

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Related Monegasque texts:

• Ordonnance-Loi n° 674 du 3 novembre 1959 concernant l'urbanisme, la construction et la voirie, modifiée
• Ordonnance Souveraine n° 3.647 du 9 septembre 1966 concernant l'urbanisme, la construction et la voirie, modifiée
• Ordonnance Souveraine n°4.482 du 13 septembre 2013 portant délimitation et règlement d'urbanisme du secteur des
  quartiers ordonnancés, modifiée
• Loi n° 502 du 6 avril 1949 sur l'expropriation pour cause d'utilité publique
• Loi n° 1.410 du 2 décembre 2014 sur la protection, l'autonomie et la promotion des droits et des libertés des personnes handicapées, modifiée
• Loi n° 1.441 du 5 décembre 2016 relative à l'accessibilité du cadre bâti