Lot-et-Garonne: Pierre Camani goes behind the scenes of the Center Parcs project

« A project is never a man, it’s always a collective », tempers Pierre Camani. Nevertheless, without the energy of this elected official, Center Parcs would not have been able to grow in Lot-et-Garonne in such good conditions. The Landes de Gascogne holiday village will be inaugurated tomorrow, Thursday May 19 and officially open on May 23. The seed was sown in 2010. Twelve years ago.

In 2010, Pierre Camani is the president of the general council. The Pierre & Vacances group plans to develop a site in the South-West where the brand is not present. A project manager gets in touch with him to discuss with the Department about a future establishment of the brand in our Pays de Cocagne.

The man already has a precise idea of ​​the place: Casteljaloux and its surroundings. He also decided on his specifications: a 50 to 80 ha site, wooded, flat and few owners to facilitate transactions. « They realized that at home, the trees were always green, including in winter, » jokes Pierre Camani. The eternal charm of pine forests.

The least environmental impact

The discussions last six months but the group suddenly puts the pedal soft. The effects of the 2008 financial crisis are invoked. « The investment project is muted, says Pierre Camani, but I keep the link with this project manager ». Having become a senator, he meets the man in question every six months, in the Senate. « To make a point ».

In the spring of 2013, he was informed that the Pierre & Vacances group had decided to invest and relaunch the machine. « And it all started from there. » There are informal field visits. Above all, there is a strong desire to ensure that the project has the least environmental impact. A research study of sites on the territory of the Landes lot-et-garonnaises has been launched. The president of the local Sepanlog, Alain Dal Molin, now sadly deceased, is a reference on environmental issues. He agrees to participate in this study.

Fourteen sites identified

Fourteen sites are identified; ten have been selected for in-depth environmental studies, including a species inventory. The Rieucourt site, in the municipalities of Pindères and Beauziac, is selected. In July, with the prefect, it is validated. In the process, a protocol is carried out with Pierre & Vacances. The group makes many commitments in terms of employment, social minima in employment (11% of RSA beneficiaries must be recruited), environmental standards (wood boiler). There will be no glass dome. There will be farmers markets on site in the evenings etc. The initial protocol was signed in December 2014.

The Zadists fail to convince

Such an adventure does not come without obstacles. The Center Parcs project in Roybon in Isère is proof of this. It will not come true. As Pierre Camani points out, « the Lot-et-Garonne project did not experience any major difficulties because of the procedure used for choosing the site ». He does not hide having had « a lot of fears ». They were quickly lifted. The National Commission for the Protection of Nature not only issued a favorable opinion on the site selection procedure, but Lot-et-Garonne received the congratulations of the jury.

At the end of 2017, at the stage of the final signing of the protocol, everything is going well. “We had to modify the economic model slightly because it is a small site of 400 cottages (there are usually between 800 and 1,000). We had to make changes to the local urban plan”. He adds: « Everything went well with the procedures. Raymond Girardi – the president of the Landes Gascogne community of municipalities – led it masterfully ».

The first pickaxes were given in 2018. A few Zadistes from the north of France are trying to establish themselves. One of them will even climb on a construction crane. But the transplant does not take. « Because there was no local support for their protest, » notes Pierre Camani. « From the start, he rejoices, there has been a political consensus, a consensus of economic players. The investment of €180 million benefits local companies ».