Lespignan (; ) is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Experiencing a Mediterranean climate, it is drained by the Aude River and various other small streams. The commune boasts a remarkable natural heritage: three Natura 2000 sites (the "Lower Plain of the Aude," the "Lower Course of the Aude," and the "Hills of Narbonnais"), two protected areas (the "Lower Plain of the Aude and Collines d'Enserune" and the "Lower Plain of the Aude"), and eight natural areas of ecological, faunal, and floristic interest.
Lespignan is a rural commune with 3,355 inhabitants in 2022, having experienced a significant population increase since 1962. It is located within the Lespignan urban area and is part of the Béziers catchment area. Its inhabitants are called Lespignanais or Lespignanaises.
Geography
Lespignan is located 10 km south (slightly southwest) of Béziers, 10 km from the sea. Lespignan is a commune bordering the department of Aude, this demarcation is made via the river "Aude". The territory of Lespignan is shared between the village itself and certain rural areas where the cultivation of the vine is very marked. The current trend advocates the appearance of numerous residential districts around the town center focused on local commerce.
Neighboring communes The neighboring communes are Béziers, Colombiers, Fleury, Nissan-lez-Enserune, Salles-d'Aude and Vendres.
Communication routes Roads Lespignan's road network follows the A9 and has a motorway service area. The D14 leads out of the village towards Fleury, Aude to the south and towards Béziers to the north. The D37 leads to the village of Nissan-lez-Ensérune to the west and the village of Vendres to the east. Public transport The village of Lespignan is served by Line 212, which leads directly to Béziers. The line is operated by the Hérault Transport company.
Natural environment Although poorly studied so far, it is very interesting because of the Matte pond, the homonymous canal which unites it to the Vendres pond and a group of Miocene hills dominating the latter. Among them, the Puech des Moulins (Figure 1) and the Puech Blanc bar (Figure 2) The vegetation covering the reliefs is a typical Languedoc garrigue whose inventory was carried out with that of Vendres.
Climate Lespignan has a mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). The average annual temperature in Lespignan is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Lespignan was on 12 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 22 November 1998.
Natural environments and biodiversity Protected areas Regulatory protection is the most effective means of intervention for preserving remarkable natural areas and their associated biodiversity.
Two protected areas are located in the commune:
the "Basse Plaine de l'Aude et Collines d'Enserune," a piece of land acquired (or similarly protected) by a natural area conservatory, covering an area of 142.4 hectares; the "Basse Plaine de l'Aude," a piece of land acquired by the Conservatoire du littoral, covering an area of 1,464.1 hectares. Natura 2000 The Natura 2000 network is a European ecological network of natural sites of ecological interest developed based on the Habitats and Birds Directives, consisting of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
A Natura 2000 site is defined in the municipality under both the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive: the "lower plain of the Aude". Covering an area of 4,500 ha, this site includes a group of Mediterranean coastal wetlands with small dune environments and salt marshes behind the beach. This is a major site for the lesser grey shrike, which has populations close to half the national population, and for breeding species exceeding the threshold of 1% of their national population: Eurasian bittern, little bittern, purple heron, western marsh harrier, black-winged stilt, little egret, common tern, little tern, moustached warbler, and european roller.
Two other sites fall under the Habitats Directive:
The "lower course of the Aude," covering an area of 5,358 ha, allows the reproduction of vulnerable migratory species (twait shad, sea lamprey), which have been in sharp decline since the proliferation of watercourse structures; the "Narbonnais hills", with an area of 2,149 ha, formed by a succession of reliefs which overlook and delimit the plain of the lower valley of the Aude, where a typical Mediterranean vegetation of garrigue and dry lawns as well as a woodland of Aleppo pines have developed. Natural areas of ecological, faunal and floral interest The inventory of natural areas of ecological, faunal, and floral interest (ZNIEFF) aims to cover the most ecologically interesting areas, primarily with a view to improving knowledge of the national natural heritage and providing various decision-makers with a tool to help them take the environment into account in land use planning. Six type 1 ZNIEFFs are listed in the commune:
the "Lower Aude Wine Plain" (1,438 ha), covering four communes, two of which are in Aude and two in Hérault; the "Nissan Hills" (487 ha), covering two communes in the department; the "Northern Hills of Lespignan" (81 ha), covering two communes in the department; the "Southern Hills of Lespignan" (116 ha), covering two communes in the department; the "Vendres Pond" (1,647 ha), covering three municipalities, one in Aude and two in Hérault; the "Matte Pond and Meadows" (395 ha), covering two communes in the department; and two type 2 ZNIEFFs:
the "Lower Aude Plain and Capestang Pond" (7,120 ha), covering ten municipalities, four in Aude and six in Hérault; the "Nissan and Lespignan Hills" (2,645 ha), covering four municipalities in the department.
Urban planning Typology As of 1 January 2024, Lespignan is categorized as a rural town, according to the new seven-level municipal density grid defined by INSEE in 2022. It belongs to the urban unit of Lespignan, a single-communal urban unit constituting an isolated town. Furthermore, the commune is part of the Béziers attraction area, of which it is a suburban commune. This area, which includes 53 communes, is categorized in areas of 50,000 to less than 200,000 inhabitants. Land use The land use of the municipality, as shown in the European database of biophysical land use Corine Land Cover (CLC), is marked by the importance of agricultural territories (86.6% in 2018), an increase compared to 1990 (76.7%). The detailed breakdown in 2018 is as follows: permanent crops (41.8%), heterogeneous agricultural areas (27.8%), meadows (16.9%), urbanized areas (6.2%), environments with shrub and/or herbaceous vegetation (3.6%), inland wetlands (3.2%), industrial or commercial areas and communication networks (0.6%). The evolution of the land use of the commune and its infrastructures can be observed on the different cartographic representations of the territory: the Cassini map (18th century), the general staff map (1820-1866) and the IGN maps or aerial photos for the current period (1950 to today).
Major risks The territory of the commune of Lespignan is vulnerable to various natural hazards: meteorological (storms, thunderstorms, snow, extreme cold, heatwave or drought), floods, forest fires and earthquakes (low seismicity). It is also exposed to a technological risk, the transport of dangerous materials. Natural risks Certain parts of the municipal territory are likely to be affected by the risk of flooding due to overflowing rivers, particularly the Aude. The municipality has been declared a state of natural disaster due to damage caused by floods and mudslides in 1982, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2019.
Lespignan is exposed to the risk of forest fires. A departmental forest fire protection plan (PDPFCI) was approved in June 2013 and runs until 2022, when it must be renewed. Individual fire prevention measures are specified by two prefectural decrees and apply in areas exposed to forest fires and within 200 meters of them. The decree of 25 April 2002 regulates the use of fire by prohibiting, in particular, bringing fire, smoking and throwing cigarette butts in sensitive areas and on the roads that cross them under penalty of sanctions. The decree of 11 March 2013 makes clearing of brushwood mandatory, the responsibility of the owner or beneficiary.
The shrinkage-swelling of clay soils can cause significant damage to buildings in the event of alternating periods of drought and rain. 91.3% of the communal area is at medium or high risk (59.3% at the departmental level and 48.5% at the national level). Of the 1,566 buildings counted in the commune in 2019, 1,566 are at medium or high risk, or 100%, compared to 85% at the departmental level and 54% at the national level. A map of the national territory's exposure to the shrinkage-swelling of clay soils is available on the BRGM website.
Furthermore, to better understand the risk of land subsidence, the national inventory of underground cavities allows us to locate those located in the commune. Technological risks The risk of transporting hazardous materials in the municipality is linked to its crossing by major road or rail infrastructure or the presence of a hydrocarbon transport pipeline. An accident occurring on such infrastructure is likely to have serious effects on property, people or the environment, depending on the nature of the material transported. Urban planning provisions may be recommended accordingly. Economy Income In 2018, the commune had 1,518 tax households, comprising 3,434 people. The median disposable income per consumption unit was €20,070 (€20,330 in the department). 43% of tax households were taxed (45.8% in the department). Employment In 2018, the population aged 15 to 64 was 1,935, of which 73.5% were active (61% employed and 12.6% unemployed) and 26.5% were inactive. Since 2008, the communal unemployment rate (as defined by the census) for 15-64 year-olds has been higher than that of France and the department.
The commune is part of the Béziers catchment area, as at least 15% of the active population work in the area. It had 331 jobs in 2018, compared to 387 in 2013 and 367 in 2008. The number of employed people residing in the commune is 1,192, representing an employment concentration indicator of 27.8% and an employment rate among those aged 15 or over of 52%.
Of these 1,192 employed people aged 15 or over, 209 work in the commune, representing 18% of the population. To get to work, 89.6% of residents use a personal or company four-wheeled vehicle, 1.8% use public transport, 5.1% travel by two-wheeler, bicycle, or on foot, and 3.4% do not need transport (working from home).
Non-agricultural activities Sectors of activity 228 establishments were located in Lespignan as of 31 December 2019. The table below details the number by sector of activity and compares the ratios with those of the department. Sector of activityCommune Department Number % %Set228100 % (100 %)Manufacturing industry, extractive and other industries2310,1 % (6,7 %)Construction6126,8 % (14,1 %)Wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and catering4318,9 % (28 %)Information and communication41,8 % (3,3 %)Financial and insurance activities31,3 % (3,2 %)Real estate activities125,3 % (5,3 %)Specialized, scientific and technical activities and administrative and support services activities2711,8 % (17,1 %)Public administration, education, human health and social action3515,4 % (14,2 %)Other service activities208,8 % (8,1 %)
The construction sector is predominant in the municipality since it represents 26.8% of the total number of establishments in the municipality (61 out of the 228 companies located in Lespignan), compared to 14.1% at the departmental level.