Moliets-et-Maâ: after long months of work, the resort unveils its new face

After several years of preparation, the first shovelful of the seaside resort's new beach plan was given in October 2023. The work is finished, here's what's changing this summer

For many, it will be necessary to use their memory to recall what the "rise to the beach" of Moliets-et-Maâ looked like before the work. A somewhat chaotic sandy parking lot with a few sucker cars, a beach access path that turned into a river with every storm, pedestrians among the bicycles, themselves in the middle of the road, and improvised "quick parking" at a bus stop, itself facing a cash machine that remained for a long time the only one in the area.

Aline Marchand, the mayor of Moliets-et-Maâ, acknowledges that things took time before the resort's new face was unveiled at the beginning of July 2025. "The beach plan was developed over eight years, when we returned to office in 2016 and there were mid-term elections. There was already a beach plan that had been started before, but stopped in 2014. We embarked on a sustainable development project with the support of the coastal Public Interest Group (GIP), which is a slightly more ambitious project than the initial beach plan," the elected official says.

In light of the financing plan obtained (read elsewhere), the mayor of Moliets-et-Maâ now says that it was worth the wait: "The construction phase is the last of this entire project. In fact, there is a whole preliminary phase which includes studies and financing. Then we worked on the positioning of the municipality with the INterland design office: the setback of cars, the management of rainwater, these were the two main objectives. With the developments of the Miaca in the 1980s , it was all concreted. We had to de-impermeabilize all these spaces and renature, give back peaceful spaces to pedestrians, to play areas, so that we have a real park in the resort."

The result inevitably gives the impression of a move upmarket for Moliets-Plage. "We wanted something a little more qualitative and, precisely, that's what we set out to do so that vacationers and users feel like they're in spaces of a higher standard. We started with the rise of the beach, the first step. The second was the entire development between the Place Rose and the access to the beach," continues Aline Marchand.

A lot of work was needed to convince the shopkeepers of the merits of these new developments. A lot of time spent consulting and explaining the situation had to be done in a pedagogical manner: "The shopkeeper had trouble understanding that reversing the car could also be beneficial for him," says the mayor. The Molietsois who live there year-round are waiting to see how it will work: "It's a drastic change in the usual daily routines. Afterwards, in terms of operations, we've had good feedback. They find it aesthetically pleasing and of high quality." Will the new landscaped areas withstand a tourist season that promises to be noisy and unrelenting? The verdict will be in September.

Another upcoming project for the mayor of Moliets is the appearance of the shops: "For the moment, we haven't yet worked on the charter for the signs. But it's something that's being considered to restore a certain harmony to the resort. We've been holding site meetings every week for two years. So, little by little, we'll also be making progress with the shopkeepers on this issue."

And so that shopkeepers can have parking near their stores, the car park opposite the Les Cigales campsite has been developed: "We have installed a short-term car park, where you can park for half an hour. We decided not to install paid parking, and it's true that in some towns, spaces near the beach are. For the moment, we have made the opposite choice."

The bicycle remains the best way to get around the resort: "We worked simultaneously on the two project owners, on the gentle relocation of Avenue de l'Océan, which had to coincide with the gentle relocation of the resort, so that there would be a natural connection that would continue to the head of the beach."