“We will redo the buildings identically”, declares Stéphane Carrela, manager of Pyla Camping and member of the Campyla association which brings together the five campsites near the Dune du Pilat on the Bassin d’Arcachon, in Gironde, strongly affected by summer fires. He was able to discuss this Thursday with Christophe Béchu, Minister of Ecological Transition, visiting Gironde on the sites most damaged by these gigantic forest fires. “It’s a working meeting that is going in the right direction and that will allow us all to reopen next year”, rejoices Stéphane Carrela. Depending on the work to be carried out, the reopenings, sometimes partial, will take place between the spring holidays and the summer. Some campsites such as Pyla Camping were completely destroyed, while Flots Bleus can still boast of having several buildings, including its reception, still standing.
“There will be no new constraints, we are already on a classified site which has quite a few, commented Christophe Béchu. It was only because of the fire that their activity was interrupted, in a spectacular way. The progression of the fire had required the evacuation of 6,000 campers in mid-July, in the middle of the tourist season. Buffer zones were already imposed in certain places by the Conservatoire du littoral. “We are going to systematize them, with reflections on the widths. These subjects are being discussed,” the minister said. The State has assured the managers of its support, in particular on the administrative level for the rapid consideration of their steps with a view to reopening.
Fewer mobile homes
The number of mobile homes will be reduced, but it was already a trend that had “been the subject of peaceful discussions and some of the campsites had already anticipated it or were in the process of doing it”, underlined the minister. On the other hand, there is no question of reducing the reception capacity of the structures. “We, our campsites had authorizations, we were not in irregularity, assures the spokesperson for Campyla. There were supernumerary mobile homes, it was something to settle: there are no more. »
For now, while it’s still time for rubble removal and cleanup, it’s hard to imagine a reopening in just a few months. “But our campsites are not closed, administratively they are still open and we have pitches and roads”, specifies Stéphane Carrela. Once started, the work could go quickly. The boundaries of the campsites will not change but shade structures and rainwater recovery systems will be put forward. The idea, shared by the Minister and the campsite managers, is to be positive at all costs after this catastrophic episode. “It’s a blessing in disguise, we will have beautiful brand new campsites and customers will find themselves there”, even advances Stéphane Carrela.