Saint-Martin Land-Use Plan Revision: Field Surveys Start October 15 in Terres Basses, Anse Marcel and Grand Case

The Collectivité de Saint-Martin will send ecologists into the field from October 15 to 21, 2026, for a partial revision of the French side's land-use plan, the Plan d'Occupation des Sols (POS). The schedule, sent to landowners on October 8, covers more than 20 areas, from Anse Marcel and Grand Case to Terres Basses and Pic Paradis.

For anyone who owns land on the French side, or plans to buy it, this is the first visible step in the Saint-Martin land-use plan revision: the process that decides what can be built, and where.

What happened

• October 8, 2026: the Collectivité informed landowners that a regulatory environmental assessment will be carried out as part of the partial revision of the POS.

• Who: Antilles-Guyane Environnement (A.G.E.), an environmental consultancy. The Executive Council awarded the assessment contract on July 2, 2026.

• What: inventories of fauna, flora, natural habitats and wetlands, which feed the environmental assessment that must accompany the revision.

• How: some fieldwork at dawn and at night, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Acoustic recorders will be installed for a few days to record wildlife.

• Private land: visits require the owner's prior agreement. A.G.E. staff carry an official mission letter from the Collectivité.

The provisional schedule, which can change with the weather:

• Thursday, October 15: Anse Marcel, including the Grand Pavois development zone (ZAC du Grand Pavois)

• Friday, October 16: Anse Marcel, Cul-de-Sac, Grandes Cayes

• Saturday, October 17: Grand Case, Espérance, La Savane, Pigeon Pea Hill

• Monday, October 19: Bellevue, Pierre-à-Chaux, Red Rock, Terres Basses, La Batterie

• Tuesday, October 20: Étang aux Huîtres, Quartier d'Orléans, Morne Valois, Grand-Fond

• Wednesday, October 21: Saint-Louis, Rambaud, Colombier, Mont de Marigot, Pic Paradis

Questions go to the Collectivité's Urban Development and Housing department, directed by Sabrina Placidoux (0690 77 30 08), according to the release reported by SMN News.

Why it matters

The POS is the rulebook for every parcel on the French side. It sets which land is buildable, for what use and at what density. Saint-Martin's POS was approved in March 2002 and, as Faxinfo reported, has since been adjusted only through a simplified revision and a series of modifications. The last public consultation on a modification ran from September to October 2023.

A revision, even a partial one, can move those lines. The environmental assessment is where wetlands, habitats and protected species get mapped, and what the ecologists record next week can weigh on where zoning ends up.

Look at the list. Terres Basses holds the island's most valuable residential land. Anse Marcel includes a designated development zone. Grand Case, Cul-de-Sac, Colombier and the slopes around Pic Paradis are where much of the French side's remaining hillside land sits. These are exactly the places where a zoning change moves value, up or down.

What we do not know yet: which zones the partial revision targets. The October 8 release gives no timetable for a public consultation or for adoption. Until a revised plan is adopted, the current POS applies.

Our read

This is a routine step in a long process, not a zoning decision. Nobody should rush to buy or sell because of it. But it tells us the Collectivité is actively working on the plan, and that the map for parts of the French side may look different within a few years.

If A.G.E. asks to walk your land, the decision is yours. Our view: a survey that sees the real ground is better than one drawn from aerial images, so we would generally let them in and be there during the visit.

For acquéreurs of land or a villa with building potential, the advice does not change, it just matters more now. Before signing a compromis de vente, ask the notaire and the Collectivité's planning department for the current zoning of the parcel and whether any change is being prepared. If you plan to build, make the purchase conditional on obtaining the building permit. We follow the revision closely and can walk you through a specific parcel: contact our team.

Sources: Collectivité de Saint-Martin release of October 8, 2026, via SMN News (October 8, 2026); Collectivité de Saint-Martin, Executive Council of July 2, 2026 (deliberation CE 149-02-2026); Faxinfo (April 4, 2018 and September 13, 2023).