In mid-December, the Chastreix-Sancy ski resort, in Puy-de-Dôme, was struggling despite the snow: it was impossible to run its non-ski activities, because the owner of the land refused to allow the passage of tourists on his plot. Thanks to a compromise, the resort was able to reopen its slopes to prepare for the February holidays.
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-After a month's break, activities are resuming on the slopes of Chastreix-Sancy, in Puy-de-Dôme. Thanks to long negotiations, the community of communes of the station found a compromise with the owner of the land, which almost never was signed. Michel Babut, mayor (SE) of Chastreix-Sancy, says: “In November, I proposed to the farmer's family an agreement which would only let us spend the winter. She graciously made 15 hectares available for the summer of 2025. The family had refused this. She wanted a 7 year lease. In agreement with the community of communes of Sancy, the municipality said no. More than 40 years ago, the activities existed and people spent both winter and summer there. We never had any problems with the previous owners. We put Canadian passages (barriers against the passage of animals, Editor’s note), porticos so that everything can work for the best”.
Impossible for municipalities to stop there. Last December, the entrances to the cross-country ski, snowshoe and sled trails were completely fenced off. The purchaser of the agricultural land crossed by these tracks refused the passage of tourists. The prefect of Puy-de-Dôme had to intervene to save the station. Thibault Maillard, head of alpine skiing, explains: “There are entire families who come. The children do a little downhill skiing and often the parents want to go hiking or snowshoeing. Over the course of a week, they mix all these activities a little. If we lose a piece of the business, everyone is impacted. The entire ecosystem has been affected. There was a bit of confusion. We observed that people did not come during the Christmas holidays”.
For the moment, the signed compromise only concerns the winter holidays but should extend to the summer season. For the “Touche pas à mon Sancy” collective, the buyer could not ignore the presence of tourist activities. Serge Teillot, spokesperson for the collective, underlines: “Either he respects his commitments and the recognition of these easements, or they will be imposed on him by the prefect. Within the framework of the Mountain Law, there is a public utility easement for all summer and winter activities.”. Contacted, the owner did not wish to comment.
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