Château de l'Herm Faces 110 Hectares of Solar Panels

Château de l'Herm faces 110 hectares of solar panels

In the Dordogne, at the heart of the forêt Barade, a large-scale agrivoltaic project is set to take shape 700 meters from a historic monument currently under restoration. Its owner, Nicolas de Laage de Meux, opposes it, along with the municipalities concerned and an association that has existed for forty years. The decision now rests with the prefecture.

When Nicolas de Laage de Meux set out to find a château, he had a precise list of criteria. He wanted a monument from the late Middle Ages or the very start of the Renaissance. He wanted it untouched, without the layers of 17th, 18th, or 19th century restoration that obscure a building's original character. And he wanted it in a setting worth the effort. Château de l'Herm, in the commune of Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac, in the Dordogne, checked all three boxes.

The building underwent no major restoration between the early 16th century and the mid-17th century. It has remained, in its owner's words, in its original state. As for its setting, it comes down to a single name: the forêt Barade, the forest of Jacquou le Croquant, which surrounds it on all sides. "I met every criterion I set for myself," he sums up.

It is precisely the third of these that is now under threat.

110 hectares at the monument's doorstep

For the past year and a half, plans for an agrivoltaic power plant have been taking shape right next to the château. The project is being developed by RWE, a German energy company, in partnership with a local landowner who owns nearly all of the parcels involved and for whom the project would represent significant income.

The scale is staggering. 110 hectares of panels, spread across three municipalities: 52 in Rouffignac, 44 in Fossemagne, and the rest in Milhac-d'Auberoche. Nicolas de Laage de Meux offers a more relatable unit of measure than the hectare: about 130 to 140 football fields. The agrivoltaic panels would stand five to six meters tall. The nearest would be 700 meters from the château.

That figure matters. The regulatory protection perimeter around a historic monument extends only to 500 meters. The project, then, technically sidesteps that restriction. "We're beyond the 500-meter protection perimeter, since the nearest parcels are 700 meters away. But still, we're really, really close," the owner points out, stressing the issue of mutual visibility: the view will run both ways, from the monument and from the parcels alike.

A project contested far beyond the château

Nicolas de Laage de Meux is not alone. He is working alongside the association de Sauvegarde de la forêt Barade, a long-standing group founded some forty years ago when landfills were established in Milhac-d'Auberoche, Rouffignac, and Fossemagne. As opponents put it, the area has already done its part.

Local governments have taken an unambiguous stance. In Rouffignac, the previous town council voted unanimously against the project; the new one, elected in the most recent elections, confirmed that refusal. The same is true in Fossemagne, where two successive councils have opposed the project. The Vallée de l'Homme community of municipalities is also against it.

The arguments go well beyond heritage concerns. The panel fields would be fenced in, cutting off wildlife corridors. Several rare species are at risk. There are also concerns about fire risk, and, more fundamentally, about soil sealing: building an industrial power plant in the middle of wooded parcels, at a time of climate change, strikes opponents as contradictory. "This project makes no sense," Nicolas de Laage de Meux states flatly.

Then there's the designation. Rouffignac is part of the Grand Site de France Vallée Vézère, a distinction that is hard to earn and that the municipality is determined to protect. Château de l'Herm is an integral part of it.

On April 19, a march was organized. The organizers had hoped for about a hundred participants. Nearly 450 people showed up. The group has since expanded into a network of associations fighting soil sealing.

A contradiction the owner points out

The most troubling aspect of the case may be this paradox: Château de l'Herm is being restored partly with state support, as part of a project backed by the Ministry of Culture, while another branch of that same state is reviewing the permit for the power plant.

The restoration of l'Herm is not a private whim. The owner does not intend the château as a primary residence; he will only stay there occasionally. The goal is to open it permanently to visitors during Dordogne's busiest season, from April to October, with a full cultural program. "This is a place where things are going to happen," he says.

There's also a regional dimension at play. Along the route connecting Périgueux to the Vézère Valley, the area remains, by his own admission, somewhat overlooked, despite the presence of the Rouffignac cave. Developing tourism here would make sense, offering a stopover for those traveling between the two points. Plans for bike paths leading to the monument are already under discussion, and numerous small trails already lead to l'Herm through the very parcels in question. In the future, hikers and cyclists would find themselves walking right into the middle of the panels.

"This isn't about opposing the energy transition"

The owner of l'Herm is careful not to cast doubt on solar energy itself. His position comes down to a question of location. "This isn't about opposing the energy transition. It's about asking: is this the right place for it?"

Alternatives exist, he argues: abandoned industrial sites, rooftops, highway margins, all already developed surfaces where these installations would fit without sacrificing natural spaces. "But here, right in the middle of the forêt Barade, next to Château de l'Herm, it would be an endless sorrow for me to see these panels go up."

The decision rests with the prefecture

All the files are currently under review. It is the regional prefect who will decide whether to grant the building permits. In the meantime, the project developer will need to provide answers on protected species, wildlife corridors, fire risk, and visual impact.

The opponents maintain regular dialogue with state agencies, who keep them informed of the case's progress. What remains is the waiting, and a clearly stated hope: "I hope we manage to stop this project, and that our authorities are responsible and reasonable enough to decide that this is not the place to install photovoltaic panels."

In the meantime, the mobilization continues. "We're truly counting on you," Nicolas de Laage de Meux concludes.

To sign the petition: https://c.org/G8N7B95x4c