PLEASE HELP US DESIGN OUR BRAND-NEW CAMPSITE!

[Guest CFrost]

We are in the process of obtaining land in the Vendee to construct a brand new, purpose-built campsite for approximately 100-120 mobile homes, aimed at folk who enjoy the Vendee but who perhaps seek the quieter and more relaxed side of life than the average holidaymaker. Having camped and caravanned for several years in the Vendee, we have noticed that the needs and behaviours of British mobile home owners differs markedly from holidaymakers. Owners typically shun many onsite facilities such as the club, bar, shop and disco, and concentrate instead on the pool whilst preferring the company of other owners - many of whom they have met on previous visits.

With this in mind, we aim to provide a brand-new site with luxury pool complex, tennis court and affordable mobile homes set in generous pitches, tailored to the British owner. The site would be run as an exclusive club, with membership rules. Each mobile home would have mains water, electricity and drainage, and bottled gas, with the added possibility of a mains telephone line and Internet connection depending on demand. Ground rent would be comparable to similar sites, but because of the limits on club membership and the absence of holidaymakers, the facilities are highly unlikely to be crowded apart from the very height of the season. We emphasise that there would be no onsite shop, club, bar or disco. However, we would build a community area to allow owners the opportunity to meet and socialise.

At this stage, we are simply 'testing the water' and wondering what interest there might be. The plan is to open in time for Easter 2007. Prices of the mobile homes, which would be pre-owned but fully refurbished, would be around £12000, depending on specification.

If you would like to be kept informed of developments, or if you are interested in being added to a mailing list, please email Andy or Mick at [email protected] with your details. Furthermore, if you would like to be involved in helping us design the site, please let us know what facilities you would like to see on the site.

Many thanks for your interest.

Andy and Mick

[Fantine<br><br><br><br>Susie]

Sounds great but opening Easter 2007 sounds like a very tight timescale to me.

You are in the process of buying the land, you'll need to get planning permission, you want to built a luxury pool and tennis court, 'build' all the pitches with their services and community area etc. etc. I think 16(ish) months is not enough time to acheive it all.

[Poolguy]

Yes

The Vendee is a destination growing in popularity. I service the pools for the camping sites throughout the Vendee coast and there is more and more every year.

I would say that this is a very good region to direct your effort due to the special microclimate enjoyed here - number of sun days second only to Cote d'Azure.

If you are interested in constructing a swimming pool which is not only attractive but meets the DDASS requirements from the outset then I can certainly assist you in that. As you are no doubt aware, there is an increasing attention paid to camping and other commercial swimming pools for the quality of water. It MUST be within the norms at all times and this is not easy with a swimming load from 120 mobile homes during high summer.

PM me if you want to discuss the project further

Andrew

[Miki]

Firstly the very best of luck.

Secondly you are a million miles out on the opening date.

Building on what is I guess is probably ? non building land(as in housing), the land will be cheaper by a long way but as you are planning on building a caravan park, this will also be subject to massive planning requirements. As you say you are "about to purchase" this land, I trust that you have seen the authorities and not taken the word of an agent or indeed even an immobiliers office ?

The regulations for a campsite are enormous and just about anyone who is anyone in authority will be involved in your getting set up and deciding if you are indeed able to start and then again later, whether you will pass all the necessary regs to open.

I know of a camp site that started from just above scratch, that is to say it was badly run down and operating just as a staging post in reality. Two new families (from Paris) started rejuvenating the 100 pitch site, electrics, new pitches, new toilet blocks, clubhouse, well to cut a long story short, 2 1/2 years later it opened with massive debts to recover and swifly, before the banks (and others) put them in to redressement. Whatever costs you think it will take to build, you can double or treble (or more) that figure, so please be prepared to have a huge amount of money available. Getting a loan, especially as a foreigner without a salary to help back the project, is going to be very difficult indeed.

My honest advice to you, would be to buy a rundown place and do it up from there, I can tell you, it will still have some problems of course but at the end of the day, you will only need to seek a few of the permissions to renovate it to your preference.

Having read again what you plan to do, luxury this and that, you will know only too well I am sure, that those words spell big money and I can only surmise that the pair of you are indeed holding plenty of money and collateral ? The cost of getting electric to 120 pitches and indeed the cost of the huge supply (in KW) that you will require would be enormous, add the drainage...I have to stop, the cost is going way, way high.

Sorry to be so gloomy but I have been friends with several site owners as we had a campsite ourselves for 6 years and I know only too well, that when the summer is in full swing and going well it is great but, I also know that winter brings a massive slump with nil coming in and so one has to make hay when.......etc. I have seen far too many have to sell, due to the projected figures not being reached or anywhere near and with loans to be paid and possibly workers still on site, it is all to easy to be swamped with debt and so selling is all too often the only way out.

Please don't think I am being awkward, I could very easily say nothing and save my fingers from tapping away but I do have experience in this kind of thing and I know just how many "crooks" will want to get you to part with your money and there are many people you will need, to do the amount of work you are talking about. Oh boy, is there !

I would also not rule out a shop or bar, these can be done to look very nice and quite useful to your owners, not all have long pockets and drink indoors ! and will love to go to a small bar /resto to chat with others. A community area will not entice them, a bar will though !

If you want help, you will need to be upfront with all that you have to back you up and at what stage the planning has got, without knowing all that, it is really hard to even offer anything of use to be honest.

As I say, good luck but my hunch is, you have either a huge wad of money or, are at a very early stage and have not costed this out totally. Selling 120 vans and all to be renovated throughout will not be easy, that's for sure and as for the rest, my head is still spinning through thinking just of the cost of the electrics and ground work alone.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Miki's observations are, I think, very good ones. Note that a "green-field" project of this size would very likely attract the attention of a public enquiry. While these can be hours of fun for those who go along to heckle and throw cream buns (it's a hobby!) they can also drag on for a very long time. The idea of tackling an existing site that needs someone willing to lavish TLC seems like a fine one.

The Vendée (as you will have probably realised) is very keen to promote tourist ventures, and you might be surprised that the level of support you could receive. If you have not done so already, and you have some plans to show, think about contacting Joel Sarlot, one of the Vendée's députés and the chair of the département's tourism board. You can see his details and contact him via: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/tribun/fiches_id/2681.asp - he is very straightforward and has advised us on a couple of occasions.

Good luck with your venture.

[zeb]

I'm intrigued! This is to be exclusively for Brits and is not for holidaymakers??!! So you're going to make your money really from sale of tartied up second hand static caravans (or maybe park homes?) and ground rents. Not many facilities, just a pool. Gosh this sounds like Mum in laws place in Hove. No children or pets there and exhorbitant ground rents which rise annually.The owner even sited more of these on the communal carpark so the owners are now discouraged from having visitors as they only have one parking space by their "bungalow". Sounds wonderful doesn't it?

Please tell me I'm wrong!

[le bouffon]

Have you thought about some indoor games as it does tend to rain somewhat,and most people who can spend the winter somewhere tend to want to go somewhere sunny or a place with lots of snow,not many ski stations in the vendee. je me pense.

[Mpprh]

[quote]Yes The Vendee is a destination growing in popularity. I service the pools for the camping sites throughout the Vendee coast and there is more and more every year.I would say that this is a very good ...[/quote]

Hendo ........ have you not heard of Languedoc ?

I've got some interesting world weather stats here : http://tlp.netfirms.com/climate.htm

and this is a useful chart of French sunshine hours :

Toulon probably has the highest hours of sunshine followed by Cote d'azur and East Languedoc. Nimes has the historic highest temperatures in France. 

Peter

 

[Guest CFrost]

To all those who have replied so far, a huge thank you.  Andy and I had no idea how helpful and supportive the 'Brits in France' community is, as evidenced by your willingness to contribute to our idea.

We are under no illusions and realise the size and difficulty of what we are trying tp put together.  The land we are negotiating on already has permissions for camping.  We'd like to build new because we're in this for the long term and want to be able to trust what's in the ground. 

The most common comment so far is that we have under-estimated how long all this will take, with several folk saying that Easter 2007 is an optimistic forecast.  We'll look again carefully at pur plans.

For those that have made suggestions already, a HUGE thank you - feel free to add more if you think of something else.  If there's anyone else out there that wants to suggest something, please do.

Andy & Mick