Verdon Regional Natural Park constructs four access points to white-water activities in the municipalities of Castellane and Rougon. These works must make it possible to adapt the site for tourist visits to the Lac de Sainte-Croix and the Verdon Gorges. Visited by around 700,000 tourists a year, tourist groups in the Verdon cause numerous dysfunctions. More specifically, the overcrowding of confined areas leads to disorganised parking spaces as well as a lack of physical separation between outdoor activity professionals and passing tourists.
To improve all these uses, the Verdon Regional Natural Park will launch at the end of February 2023 a development project in the municipalities of Castellane and Rougon with four access points for water sports activities.
The four planned modifications to the Verdon Regional Natural Park
The project, designed by the team of state-registered landscape architects from the Aux Iris workshop, is located within the Middle Verdon area. More specifically, developments are planned between Castellane and the Couloir Samson, the narrowest gorge of the Verdon Gorges, with access to the river and Lake Sainte-Croix for all water sports activities. The sites of Castellane Centre, Talloires, Chasteuil and Carajuan will be affected by this project, which forms part of the Verdon Grand Site operation. While this part of the Verdon is the only section of the river that is navigable by the public, the rest of the river is very difficult to access. The Pont du Soleil site in the commune of Castellane will not be covered by the project. It is currently privately owned and managed by the Association of Water Sports Professionals. The same applies to the Couloir de Samson site in the commune of Rougon, which is the subject of a separate, specific development study in its own right.
Castellane town centre
The secure entry system is specially designed for nautical activity professionals. In addition, a second secure access point will provide more space for outdoor activity professionals, alongside the creation of a drop-off zone. Furthermore, this development in this area will offer a public car park and a relaxation area.
Talloires
At the Talloires site, a car park will be set up to accommodate tourists and the general public. Specifically, access will be created for pedestrians and emergency vehicles. In addition to the three short-stay parking bays, water sports professionals will have the benefit of 6 dedicated parking spaces measuring 7 x 3 m. Next, seven public parking spaces will be created. A turning area with a radius of 9 m is expected to be added.
Chasteuil
The Chasteuil site will have at least nine parking spaces. A key-operated access control rising barrier, with barriers closed outside of watersports activity days, will be installed and managed by the Verdon Regional Natural Park. Three «quick-stop» parking bays will be available to the general public.
Carajuan
Finally, as part of the urban development project for the Verdon Regional Natural Park, the Carajuan site will feature a large car park with around forty spaces. This is expected to be created above the campsite, on the other side of the D952 departmental road. In addition, a second car park dedicated to whitewater professionals, with about fifteen spaces, will be laid out.
An improved layout with a view to obtaining the Grand Site de France label
Ultimately, this river access development project of the Verdon Regional Natural Park signals a desire to continue the actions corresponding to the Grand Site du Verdon project. L’Grand Site de France Operation aims to improve the welcome for visitors to the destination through quality facilities. As a reminder, this is an award granted by the State, which recognises the sustainable development of an area. The awarding of the label is conditional upon the implementation of a conservation, management and development project for the site, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. This label is awarded to a local authority, a public institution, a joint syndicate or a management body bringing together the local authorities concerned. Thus, the decision to award the label determines the duration of this certification.
This comprises three conditions to be met:
– Site with a significant part dedicated to the protection of natural monuments, enjoying a certain level of renown and generating a high volume of visitors
- Preservation and management of natural spaces in accordance with the principles of sustainable development
– The label holder coordinates the implementation of the project as a partner organisation for site management
Indeed, Verdon Regional Natural Park is implementing the Opération Grand Site initiative in collaboration with the communes concerned, with the aim of obtaining the Grand Site de France label by 2023/2024. The Verdon brings together several tourist destinations, each more famous than the last. It is Europe's largest canyon, offering an exceptional and unspoilt landscape that attracts more than 3 million visitors a year, including tourists. Consequently, the preservation and authenticity of these landscapes represent the main assets of the Verdon Regional Natural Park.
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