Est-Var territorial coherence scheme public inquiry, Digi Mart USA News (Est-Var, France): Residents have until 5 p.m. this Friday, November 6, to submit their comments on the new territorial coherence scheme (SCoT) for the Est-Var agglomeration.
The public inquiry can be answered in person at the headquarters of Estérel Côte d’Azur Agglomération or online at the official dematerialized register.
Beyond urban growth, the environment, traffic management at the A8 interchanges and economic zones, the proposal has drawn fierce opposition over a request from the Pays de Fayence community of communes. It seeks a large-passage area for 200 caravans, housing an estimated 600 to 800 people, near the waste facility in Les Adrets-de-l’Estérel.
Residents cite concerns about traffic, safety, wildfire risk, utilities, nature and quality of life. One resident said that while families of travelers deserve dignified reception, safety must remain the absolute priority, noting the proposed site is classified as a red zone under the wildfire prevention plan.
Following the prefectural refusal of the Fontsante site on fire grounds, residents argue the current choice exposes occupants to a serious risk.
Other comments focus on traffic. One resident warned that the arrival of large convoys and that evacuating additional vehicles in an emergency could endanger neighboring communes and block access roads and roundabouts needed by emergency services.
Opponents also argue that Estérel Côte d’Azur Agglomération already hosts a 150-place large-passage area in Fréjus and has committed one million euros of public funds to the Puget-sur-Argens site. They contend that approving the request would concentrate two such areas in the agglomeration while none would be located in the neighboring territory, contrary to the logic of the departmental plan.
Water quality is another major concern. Residents warn that the site lies within the catchment basin feeding Lake Saint-Cassien, a strategic drinking water resource, and that runoff, soil permeability and any uncontrolled discharge could reach groundwater and the lake.
They say a facility of this scale would require exceptionally large treatment and retention systems to prevent irreversible pollution.
The environmental association Lacovar has submitted detailed observations to the inquiry commissioner, Olivier Riché. While the group, together with Les Amis de la corniche varoise, supports the project with reservations about buildability, which they say is largely exceeded under the current scheme, it calls for annual verification of housing growth by commune.
Lacovar also recommends planning for inert construction waste storage in the Est-Var, proposing that the Pont du Duc quarry in Fréjus be formally included in the scheme once its activity ends, and questions the planned conversion of the nearby site into a picnic area beside a shooting club. It further raises concerns about wildfire-prone eucalyptus and resinous trees, and the lack of a long-term plan to restore ecological corridors reduced by privatization and paving.
