To avoid a fiasco like in Menton, these two private beaches will be destroyed and replaced by removable restaurants in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

A sense of déjà vu is apparent on the eastern coast of the Alpes-Maritimes. After Menton and Les Sablettes, it's Roquebrune-Cap-Martin's turn to face changing beach regulations. The same azure setting, the same dismantling requirements, and other restaurants on hold... But this time, the town hall is determined to write a scenario without legal twists and turns or a shortened summer season.

From 2026 , artificial beaches will have to comply with a new regulatory framework. And Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is anticipating this shift, as the municipal council voted this Tuesday to authorize the filing of a demolition permit to restore the coastline of Carnolès Bay.

A decision that follows logically from the deliberation adopted unanimously last March: the municipality asserted its right of priority to obtain a ten-year concession starting from January 1, 2026. A new lease is accompanied by strict requirements imposed by the decree of May 26, 2006. From now on, only dismountable or transportable installations - excluding toilets and first aid stations - are authorized on the public maritime domain. The objective: to restore the naturalness of the coastline, while reconciling seaside activities and environmental protection.

The Fanal and the Cocody Sun affected

Direct consequence: the permanent structures currently present on public land will have to be removed. This particularly concerns the concrete elements and platforms that encroach on the Promenade du Cap-Martin, where the establishments "Le Fanal" and "Le Cocody Sun" are located. Their demolition is therefore scheduled , as part of a restoration of the site before the next summer season. However, the municipality does not intend to abandon all economic activity in this area of ​​the coast.

The town hall is planning to build two new catering establishments in place of the old ones. These structures, which can be dismantled and comply with the 2006 decree, are scheduled to open in the summer of 2026 , following a competitive bidding process, as required by the framework for temporary occupation permits. With this operation, the town intends to combine tourist appeal with respect for the coastal environment. And above all, it intends to avoid the errors observed in the neighboring town of Menton, where the management of the new concessions in Les Sablettes turned into a fiasco: in the summer of 2025, only three out of nine establishments were able to open , after a series of legal appeals and cancellations.

The Roquebrune municipality assures that it wants to carry out this transition with transparency and respect for the legal framework, in order to ensure a peaceful summer season for professionals and coastal users alike. "We had two working meetings with government departments, and everything was approved ," asserts Patrick Cesari, mayor of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. "We will discuss the creation of the two catering establishments on public property again at the start of the school year. The establishments currently in place have been informed of this situation."

"I think we have a legality problem..."

During the discussions at the municipal council, opposition councillor Guillaume Contesse raised an ambiguity in the wording of the resolution: "I think we have a legal problem with this resolution. If I understand correctly, we are legally obliged to demolish, since we are reaching the end of the establishments' concession. In the resolution, it is stated that the facilities must be dismantled at the end of each operating period. According to the specifications, this extends from April 1st to September 30th if we are not classified as a "Tourist Resort". If this is the case, we are talking about a maximum of eight months of operation. However, in today's resolution, the last passage mentions that restaurants will be able to be open year-round. How will they be able to operate the remaining four months with dismantled structures?! To avoid any problems, we should remove the last paragraph because it has no direct meaning with the demolition permit."

Mayor Patrick Cesari responded in an effort to calm things down: "I wanted this paragraph to explain that after this demolition, we will be able to have the two restaurants. For me, it was a means of informing the city council. But I don't mind removing it."

An initial legal risk will therefore have been defused before the demolition permit is even filed. In Roquebrune, lessons seem to have been learned from the Menton episode: here, disagreements are resolved without going to court. For now...