Joan Collins

Trouble in paradise

Joan Collins says that St Tropez’s unique beach culture is in danger from the local council. Taki wonders if the changes will see off the disgusting super-rich

Joan Collins says that St Tropez’s unique beach culture is in danger from the local council. Taki wonders if the changes will see off the disgusting super-rich

When people think about St Tropez, they visualise miles of golden sand and dozens of wonderful beach bars, shacks and restaurants catering to an eclectic clientele. But that could all be about to change. Those beaches belong to Pampelonne, which is part of the city of Ramatuelle, and the bars and restaurants face demolition if local council plans are given the go-ahead on 16 September.

The council authorities say that the restaurants and huts pose an environmental hazard — they damage plant species, erode sand dunes and accelerate the encroachment of the ocean on the land. Nobody wants that to happen, of course. But looking closer at the requirements for new licences, one smells a free-market rat.

The scheme proposes the building of an enormous artificial dune to protect the beach from the ravages of the restaurants. There must be some very happy contractor licking his lips at the immensity of this project. But the real kicker is the change in the granting of licences. Until now, I understand, licences have been granted for a year, making it affordable for individuals and unprofitable for conglomerates. Now, apparently, the licences are to be awarded for ten years, which will effectively drive away the families and individuals who have run their businesses for the last 60 years and paving the way for the large hotel chains and conglomerates to take over.

Quelle horreur! There is no other place in the world as gloriously unique which offers so much in the way of the déjeuner parfait. I started going to St Tropez in the late 1960s. It was less frenetic then than it is now, but it has always been a paradise for hedonists.

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