Behind the Flots Bleus campsite, men install a wooden staircase on the Pilat dune on March 29, 2023 in Pyla-sur-Mer, Gironde (AFP / Philippe LOPEZ)
At the foot of the Dune du Pilat, the Flots Bleus campsite, ravaged by flames last summer, is due to partially reopen its doors on Monday, in a landscape of desolation and with another invisible enemy, the withdrawal of the coastline.
The old Dune campsite made famous by the “Campings” comedies with Franck Dubosc in the main role of Patrick Chirac, in tank tops and swimming trunks, is still disfigured by the fire in the Teste-de pine forest. -Buch (Gironde) in mid-July last which caused nearly 8 million euros in damage.
In the middle of a heap of charred sheets and trees, only the reception, the mini-market and the stage of the “bal des Flots bleus” had escaped the flames.
After clearing and depollution work, 32 lodge tents and six mobile homes were installed or refurbished. Others will arrive shortly.
Workers install bungalows in the Flots Bleus campsite on March 29, 2023 in Pyla-sur-Mer, Gironde (AFP / Philippe LOPEZ)
“We are rebuilding identically. We have redone the electricity, water and sanitation networks because 80% of the pipes had burned”, explains manager Franck Couderc, who defends a more eco-responsible approach with the “installation of panels solar panels”, “rainwater harvesting” and “greywater recycling”.
Many works – finishes, earthworks, renovation of the swimming pool – remain to be carried out, as well as the landscaping to find a lost vegetation cover.
Because holidaymakers will have a hard time recognizing the places. The road leading from the Dune du Pilat to Biscarrosse (Landes) is a titanic site to extract the burnt wood and carry out the work of the four other surrounding campsites, which intend to reopen for some “early July”.
– Developments without authorization –
The Flots Bleus campsite, ravaged by flames last summer, on March 29, 2023 in Pyla-sur-Mer, in Gironde (AFP / Philippe LOPEZ)
“We experienced a trauma and today we need to turn the page,” admits Franck Couderc.
“The earlier we open, the better it is for us. We can’t wait for our customers to come back, as before”, says the manager, who assumes a “50%” opening which is a little hasty under the “positive pressure from employees and customers. “, with first reservations next week.
The economic stakes are high: the five starred campsites on the ocean beaches welcomed up to 6,000 holidaymakers in high season, according to the town hall of Teste-de-Buch.
“For one euro spent per person on the campsite, it’s 3 euros spent on the town and the surrounding area”, according to the city councilor Patrick Davet. “It’s a category of holidaymakers who consume, go to restaurants, rent bikes, take shuttles, etc…”.
Just after the fires, President Emmanuel Macron had promised state aid to campsite owners to “help them rebuild”.
The vegetation devastated by the fires of last summer, at the foot of the dune of Pilat, on March 29, 2023 in Pyla-sur-Mer, in Gironde (AFP / Philippe LOPEZ)
On site, however, some deplore that the developments still do not respect the special authorization provided for by the Environment Code. The Ministry of the Environment has refused several permits in the past, in particular because the number of mobile homes exceeded the maximum of 35 recommended for campsites below the dune in a 2012 report.
– The inexorable advance of the sand –
Because by moving inland, under the effect of wind erosion, the dune nibbles the surfaces of the campsites which reorganize their plots to take account of the silting.
This week, the Departmental Commission for Nature, Landscapes and Sites (CDNPS) issued a favorable advisory opinion for requests for future planning and building permits which still have to be validated by the ministry. The only condition: return immediately or within a few years to the conditions set by a 2012 report.
“It is regrettable that we do not use this disaster to do otherwise. We now have installations and vehicles which disfigure the classified site from the top of the dune”, judge Vital Baude, EELV regional adviser, calling for respect ” the legislation now”.
“All the indicators are green, now we will be vigilant so that they comply”, assumes Patrick Davet.
But time is running out. Due to the retreat of the coastline, campsites will be buried by sand within 10 to 25 years, according to estimates.
© 2023 AFP
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