Crackdown on private resorts on French Riviera angers owners
French crackdown will see private resorts that are decades old torn down, angering owners
Storm clouds are gathering over the private beach cafes of the French Riviera. But it is not the weather that is worrying the operators of the exclusive private beaches, the playgrounds of the international jet set.
They are up in arms because the government has decided to crack down on construction at private beach resorts.
Lawyer Genevieve Rebufat-Frilet, representing private beach managers, said authorities had begun serving notice that all buildings - even those with planning permission - must be demolished once their permit comes to an end.
"Some beaches are being recategorised as 'remarkable places', in which case no reconstruction is allowed," she said.
Rebufat-Frilet called it a witch hunt by the state.
"This is really a big worry for us. It's one thing to say no new construction, but completely another to order the destruction of property, particularly when it's been there for decades," she said.
Under legislation adopted in 1986, there is no such thing as a private beach, and the public must have unfettered access to the sea. However, the state has allowed exceptions for temporary beach installations.