Coastal erosion threatens restaurants in Villeneuve-Loubet

Coastal erosion on the French Riviera is forcing the closure of several businesses. In Villeneuve-Loubet, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture has ordered four restaurants to evacuate within four months.

The decision follows a March revision of the maritime public domain (DPM) boundaries. As rising sea levels and erosion cause the shoreline to recede, the legal boundary between land and sea shifts inland. When private property is incorporated into the DPM due to these shifts, owners and managers may lose their rights to the land without compensation.

Mourad Bouzaiane, who manages two of the affected establishments, described the prefecture's order as a “disguised expropriation.” He noted that his significant financial investments and the livelihoods of his employees are at risk. This situation reflects a broader trend across France, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, where climate change-driven erosion threatens thousands of coastal residents and businesses.