The island of Berder covers 23 hectares in the heart of the Gulf of Morbihan.

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GILE Michel / SIPA

  • Owner of the Ile de Berder in the Gulf of Morbihan, Michel Berder wants to build a luxury hotel with 80 rooms there.

  • Gathered Sunday at the entrance to Berder, opponents believe that the project will "denature and disfigure the island".

  • The real estate developer still has supporters in the small town of Larmor-Baden.

It is a heavenly place nestled in the heart of the Gulf of Morbihan.

Pride of the 860 inhabitants of Larmor-Baden, the island of Berder has, however, been causing a stir in the small Breton town for several months.

The object of the discord is a 4-star hotel project of 80 rooms with swimming pool, spa, hammam as well as a car park with a hundred spaces.

It is carried by Michel Giboire, boss of the eponymous real estate group, who bought the 23-hectare stone in 2016 from the Yves Rocher group for around four million euros.

The island is accessible to visitors thanks to a gois which connects the island to the mainland at low tide - GILE Michel / SIPA

The island of Berder, which has long served as a holiday center, is therefore private, Michel Giboire having established his second home in the former fishery of the island.

But the jewel remains accessible to visitors thanks to a gois which connects the island to the mainland at low tide.

In fine weather, its coastal path is taken by storm by walkers who appreciate the calm of the island, its lush vegetation and its breathtaking view of the Gulf of Morbihan.

Appeals filed to block the project

An idyllic setting for family walks that opponents of Michel Giboire wish to see preserved.

Gathered Sunday afternoon in front of the entrance to the Passage de Berder, they denounce a project that will "distort and disfigure the island for the benefit of a few wealthy clients", according to Marc Chapiro, spokesperson for the Berder Ensemble collective.

“Michel Giboire is the owner of the island, of course he has the right to stay there,” he says.

But we reject this luxury hotel project which is pure nonsense and will not bring anything to the municipality ”.

Several hundred people gathered in Larmor-Baden against the hotel project on the #Berder island.

#morbihan pic.twitter.com/iU6Ep0iMku

- Isa Rettig (@isa_rettig) January 17, 2021

With the other opponents, he defends the idea of ​​making Berder a departmental park and has launched a petition to this effect.

The problem is that the island is not for sale and that the department is not a buyer either, according to its president François Goulard.

To block the project, the opponents have therefore launched a legal offensive by filing in particular this summer an appeal for annulment of the building permit filed by Michel Giboire as well as an appeal against the local urban plan.

Economic benefits according to the pro-Giboire

Contacted by

20 Minutes

, the Rennes real estate developer did not respond to our requests, no longer wishing to "communicate or speak on this project while awaiting court decisions".

In Larmor-Baden, Michel Giboire can in any case count on the support of certain residents who see the hotel project in a positive light.

This is the case of municipal councilor Christophe Guyomard who set up the citizen collective for economic and social development last year in Larmor-Baden.

"Michel Giboire does not want to damage the island but on the contrary to renovate buildings which are falling into ruins and that on his private funds", he assures us.

He also believes that the hotel, if it sees the light of day, will bring economic benefits to the town "which is becoming depopulated with shops closing one after the other".

"This will create jobs of course, but a handful of anti-everything do not want them," he denounces.

They are against luxury tourism but also against more general tourism, since they have succeeded in suspending the project to extend a campsite ”.

The legal proceedings promising to be long, the pro and anti-Giboire have not finished tearing themselves apart in Larmor-Baden.

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  • Controversy

  • Isle

  • Hotel

  • Society