The rules of the “look” arrive at the beach of Canet-en-Roussillon.

On the coast of Canet-en-Roussillon (Eastern Pyrenees), the view and limitation of the visual impact of beach clubs installed in the summer in the public marine space (DPM) is important. Tenants under the contract must not occupy more than 20% of the area. It is this new regulation, which comes into force this year, that has changed the location of beach clubs in the town of Canet-en-Roussillon. The municipality has just extended its temporary occupation concessions from April 8 to October 8, a subconcession for the next ten years.

18 concessions as of 2023

The somewhat surreal concept required the clubs themselves to be turned 90°, but a less radical solution was ultimately used to keep the number of concessions at 18, as in 2023. “To reduce the impact on the maritime route of each of the concessions, this was the only solution to preserve the eighteen settlements. And when it came time to determine the characteristics of our concessions, the managers resignedly played the game. Sometimes this represents an investment in adaptation,” explains Fatima Bensaidan, assistant head of trade at Caen-en-Roussillon. And we must maintain a minimum distance of 200 m between each concession.

“We are losing a bit of the sea view and the 30 by 50 meter rectangles of the concession are oriented differently. But at least we keep our concession area of ​​1500 m². However, the rent for these concessions has increased significantly. He doubled. For beach clubs it has increased from 15,000 to 30,000 euros, which is not neutral for establishments,” points out Eric Muhly, president of the beach operators of Canet, who himself runs Côté-Plage. The good news is that these recent measures won’t have too much of an impact on sun loungers and mattresses. They will always face the sea.

What private beaches bring to the city of Canet, operators pay a commission, a kind of rent:

30,000 euros per year for beach clubs

25,000 euros for family club

18,000 euros for children’s clubs

5000 euros for restaurant terraces in the State Maritime Domain (DPM)

For its part, the municipality of Cane pays the state 900,000 euros for the operation of the CSA.