Is the essence of Port Grimaud under threat?

An internationally recognised pioneer of the waterfront village concept, Port Grimaud in the French Gulf of Saint Tropez is a World Heritage Site with a unique ambience. Residents fear that interventions in the name of progress may threaten its self-sufficient infrastructure, environmental balance and unique spirit. Donatella Zucca, a property owner in Port Grimaud, explains.

Port Grimaud was built in the 1960s to designs drawn up by architect and sailor François Spoerry, a resistance fighter from Alsace who survived the WW2 horrors of Dachau concentration camp. He sought to create a lakeside village with a strong artisan imprint, to be inhabited by people from all over the world as a symbol of love, peace and brotherhood.
Cristoforo Rocco di Torrepadula, an expert in the financing of infrastructure investment and a longstanding owner of a house in Port Grimaud, looks back. “The marshy land at the base of the Gulf of Saint Tropez, which no one wanted to go near, seemed ideal for realising Spoerry’s dream from scratch,” he explains. Transforming an inhospitable area into a place of life and beauty represented a victory of good over evil. “The authorities wanted to develop the area economically,” he continues, “so the idea of a project financed mostly by foreigners (70% at the time compared with 48% today) was listened to and accepted.”
The Municipality gave Spoerry carte blanche and he created a paradise where it was only possible to travel by water, with mooring in front of each house, a school, post office, bank, pharmacy, clinic, playgrounds and all that is still in place today. Spoerry’s model was the Venice “of the past”, a series of canals crossed by slow moving mid-sized and small boats in harmony with house size and the fragile balance of the waters.
Natacha Lamy, a doctor in marine biology who has been on site since 2023 to study marine life, says that it is incredible to see how much nature has taken over Port Grimaud in under 60 years; an amazing phenomenon if you think about its artificial nature as a village created from nothing. The seabed is home to a prolific balance of marine flora and fauna thanks to the genius of the architect who incorporated a system of incoming and outgoing fresh and salt water currents to energise a lifeless swamp.
Inevitably, over the years many of the original elements of Port Grimaud have disappeared, giving way to property typical of holiday resorts. Today, there are 7km (4.3mi) of canals and 14km (8.6mi) of quayside, 2,400 houses and over 2,000 moorings divided between three sectors (Port Grimaud 1-3). Land is managed by three autonomous associations spread across the 75ha (185 acre) Grimaud Municipality.
In anticipation of the end of the existing state concessions and following an audit commissioned in 2019, the Municipality voted in 2022 to terminate the concessions earlier than agreed due to problems with consistent management, and to take over the port concession itself. This action continues to be opposed by owners’ associations for Port Grimaud 1 and 2 with legal action ongoing. The Municipality’s declared intention to improve, update and renew the port via a mega project presents worrying implications to build on concerns over other changes.
In recent years, the tennis club near the entrance to Port Grimaud 2, for example, has disappeared. We, and our children, played there for years, guided by a very good and much-loved teacher. In its place is a car park for Port Grimaud 3 properties. We have owned an apartment in Port Grimaud 2 for over 50 years and we miss some nice services, such as the boat that delivered hot croissants. The restaurant opposite the shipyard had difficulty obtaining permission to reopen after modernisation and improvement works, and the newsagent/chandler/general store in Place du Sud closed. Several other establishments have been replaced by land and docks allocated to fast charter boats, and boats moored in front of houses and navigating the canals are increasingly bigger.
From the sofa at his house, fronting his garden and boat, I ask Cristoforo what strikes him most about the project and why he is taking part in almost all of the meetings on the topic organised by the Municipality. “We started receiving very aggressive threats in 2022 from the Municipality for additional mooring payments, despite having already paid until the concession expires in December 2025,” he says. “This anticipated the end of the concession by three years and everyone has been wondering what right they have to do this. There is a legal issue, which has to be discussed in court. Those who do not pay face a fine and, if the demand is sent to a Port Grimaud property that is not a person’s main residence, as happened to me, it’s seen late and followed by a letter from the bailiff demanding payment within ten days or a bank account freeze.”
Another controversial issue, he adds “is the offer of a 35-year concession to home owners for the right to have a boat in front of their house. This right is registered to a person, is not transferrable and has to be renewed annually.”
By taking possession of the water plan, residents fear that the Municipality is developing projects that clash with both the DNA of Port Grimaud and its environment despite the mayor’s sincere insistence that he recognises their importance. Projects include building a mega breakwater to protect the entrance to Port Grimaud 1; moorings for 30 to 40m (98 to 131ft) yachts that will need adequate services for captains and crew (not mentioned in plans); demolition of the harbour office for an expanded building and – as can be seen already – increased space for charter boats which, by boosting the number of boats on site, complicates traffic in the canals and places stress on the seabed.
In short, the plans are to transform Port Grimaud into something very different from what it fortunately still is and, roughly speaking, compete with Saint Tropez where the seabed is appropriate for port use. A new breakwater and perhaps systematic dredging work would affect the water current in addition to changes caused by increased boat traffic. This will make it difficult to respect the spirit of Port Grimaud despite claims and promises made by the mayor to François Spoerry’s widow Denise Spoerry.
At one of the meetings organised by the Municipality this summer, Dr Jérôme Stevens, who sailed in Port Grimaud as a teenager, while appearing in favour of modernisation, expressed his fear that Port Grimaud would become an annex of Saint Tropez, with its procession of large luxury boats in contrast with the peaceful art de vivre focusing on the sea, sailing and nature that has always reigned.
Environmental stability is paramount. Spoerry studied the play of water currents for a long time to ensure that they moved water everywhere, self-cleaning it and giving entry to fish. Sea bass and sea bream actually spawn in some of the inner reaches. The River Giscle also contributes, flowing in and out between Cogolin Marina and Port Grimaud 2 up to six times a day.
There is much ongoing discussion. We must hope to retain such an excellent environmental footprint but also to maintain harmony with the spirit of a very special and magical place.