The town of Ramatuelle (Var), where the iconic Pampelonne beach is located, has had enough of the constant helicopter flights over the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. Faced with an increase in daily rotations, the town is suing the state, she announced on Saturday.
“The summary liberty that we filed in the night from Friday to Saturday, it is an emergency measure because the prefectural decree of June 25 provides for an increase in the number of rotations compared to previous years”, argues Antoine Perez, lawyer in the office of the mayor of Ramatuelle. The decree provides for 50 daily movements against 40 for the previous seasons, “without counting the unofficial movements, not declared, very numerous”, specifies Antoine Perez.
Ninety passages during the day above a house observed
Prized by a wealthy clientele, the helicopters and their incessant buzz have already been the target of legal actions from exasperated residents, but never from a municipality. An inhabitant of a housing estate located behind the beach of Pampelonne noted by minutes 90 helicopter passages in one day over his house, according to Antoine Perez.
Completely bottled in summer, the Gulf of Saint-Tropez has seen “heliports” flourish in recent years. The helicopter puts Saint-Tropez a quarter of an hour from Nice or Cannes.