The prefect of Hérault, Hugues Moutouh, issued an unfavorable opinion on the Golf project of the Domaine de Lavagnac, located in the town of Montagnac, near Pézenas, in Hérault. Subject to authorization by prefectural decree of September 9, 2011, it included in particular a real estate operation for individual and collective housing, as well as the creation of an 18-hole golf course.
“In a context of early drought and the necessary preservation of water resources, the prefect requested in January 2023 an update of the file”, details the representative of the State in Hérault. The project leader had been invited to explain the terms of the availability of water resources for the irrigation of this golf course. “It turns out that the proposed modifications, brought to the attention of the State services on April 30, do not provide a tangible solution to the central question of the water supply. »
“An ecologically unsustainable project”
“Certainly substantial (…), these proposals are not likely to meet the current challenges of preserving water resources,” emphasizes Hugues Moutouh. “At a time when global warming is leading to periods of lasting drought and when water resources must be preserved, any old design project deserves to be re-examined. »
The project was the subject of numerous oppositions locally, in particular that of Eric Poujade (Génération Ecologie). This municipal councilor from Vigan (Hérault) who sits on the local Water Commission of the Hérault river “It’s an ecologically unsustainable project, he shouted to 20 minutes in January. What are we going to tell them, the farmers who weren’t allowed to irrigate last summer? That they can’t water their fields, but that the resources are reserved for a handful of people who will come and play a very green 18-hole course a few kilometers away? »
The project leader can challenge the decision before the administrative court of Montpellier.