The municipalities of Pays de St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie went back on Bretignolles-sur-Mer’s marina project and submitted it again to a preliminary public concertation. For the environmental associations active on that file, the answer still remains NO!
the Normandelière beach, Pays St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Return on the file history
Since 2003, the municipality of Bretignolles-sur-Mer projects a marina creation on the Normandelière creek bed. Back in the time, the municipality had launched an informal consultation, obviously to avoid highlighting environmental issue, and the “yes” took it away. Then, the project came up again in 2011, through a public enquiry. Reason took over the excess of a file adding dangers and important impacts on the environment up. Finally, in 2017, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie municipalities rekindle the debate with a public concertation. Since then, local associations such as la Vigie, le CPNS, la Ligue Nationale pour la Protection des Oiseaux, France Nature Environnement, are mobilizing to warn the population about impacts of that kind of project.
Assessments unfortunately like the ancient project
The impact of that kind of project on coastline on short, middle and long terms, and on the future of agriculture and natural spaces, is as bad as the version of 2011. “Our associations analyzed the file submitted through concertation and our difference of opinion expressed in 2011 are still topical”, says Yves Le Quellec, president of Vendée Nature Environnement “such a layout would be the cause of important damages on the environment, and this coastline is characterized by an significative erosive dynamic must be preserved from all project of that kind.”
The commission report favorable towards the marina
The project provides for a marina of 915 rings on 2 km², Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
In november 2018, the enquiry commission has ignored many arguments from local and environmental associations, having preference for customer’s arguments. It sounds like economic interests prevail over environmental interests. This report position and its conclusions are made of politic nature, totally contradictory with the environmental rules. As an answer to this, a public enquiry has been recently done between 19th December 2018 and 18th January 2019. Its goal being to gather every coastline defender in bringing observations to get in the way of this artificialization project. It is also important to know that the enquiry commission has no decision power, and that only the Loire Atlantique prefect will have control over this stormy file. The project opponents hope that the way out will be positive for their actions.
The endless arm wrestling
Here is 10 years that Surfrider Europe follows this construction project with its Indre-et-Loire branch. The marina construction site is mostly planned on a wet area (area Big Swamp), and it would disturb the natural space’s ecosystems, but it would also harm the underground phreatic tables. Plus, seawalls would destroy surf spots in the south of the town. Then, it is in a natural way that Surfrider Europe as well as local and environmental protection associations put themselves against this harmful project for the coastline.
The fight goes on…
