The place is well known to the inhabitants of Saint-Malo and to all lovers of the Emerald Coast. Located in the Rothéneuf district, the Pointe de la Varde offers an incredible panorama with a view on a clear day of the Pointe du Grouin and Cap Fréhel. Owned by the Coastal Conservatory, this protected natural site of 26 hectares has been the subject since 2015 of a development project carried out jointly with the city and the departmental council. An unsightly shellfish shed that spoiled the beauty of the place was razed and walkers were channeled on a single path to protect biodiversity. A car park has also just been set up a short distance from the site
to put an end to anarchic parking.
The next step is Fort d’Arboulé, also called Fort de la Pointe de la Varde. Strategic place for the defense of the corsair city, the fort, built in 1694 and imagined by Vauban, today shows the weight of the years. “The site is partly in ruins and presents certain weaknesses”, underlines Gwenal Hervouët, deputy regional delegate of the Conservatoire du littoral en Bretagne.
The fort houses German bunkers
In recent months, a municipal decree has prohibited its access. But this does not prevent intrusions because the fort houses German bunkers, making the happiness Urbex lovers. In a few months, however, this old military battery should be able to welcome the public again.
As part of the recovery plan (read framed), the Coastal Conservatory thus obtained 700,000 euros in credits for this purpose. “We will not be able to restore everything because it is a project worth several tens of millions of euros, estimates Gwenal Hervouët. But we are going to restore certain parts and enhance others in order to allow the public to appropriate this historical heritage ”.
Not yet fully finalized, the project will also take into account flora and fauna. “It is also a question of preserving the biodiversity of this site where the vegetation is rich and which shelters several species of birds as well as lizards and bats”, specifies Gwenal Hervouët. The first works should start in 2022 with the end of the work scheduled for 2023.
The Relance Train in Rennes
It will be parked on track 8. This Monday and Tuesday, the Relance Train will stop at Rennes station. The objective of the operation is to explain France Relance, the plan launched a year ago by the government and endowed with 100 billion euros “to build a greener, more competitive and more united France in 2030”. One of the three coaches of the Train de la Relance is a radio studio run by the NGO Reporters d’Espoirs in partnership with local media including 20 minutes in Paris, Rennes, Marseille and Strasbourg. Three hours of live will be produced there each day.