Seasonnaire accommodation reaches crisis point
We reported to you a little while back on the difficulty many people have in finding decent, affordable seasonnaire accommodation in Chamonix. With prices up as high as €600 a month for 15m2, many long term visitors feel they are left with no choice but to “park up” and spend the winter in a camper van. With a seasonnaire population of around 2500, only half of which can be accommodated by existing seasonal lets, one quarter are housed by their employer as part of their package but that still leaves some 600 people struggling to find somewhere affordable to stay.
This seems to be a growing problem throughout all ski stations in the Savoie region and has been recognised by the local state services. They have agreed an initiative that will create 1400 new seasonal beds in the region in the next year. Finances are already secured for the project but Alain Simon, minister in charge, hopes that it might be possible to increase the number to 2000 by the end of the year. The agreement has set guidelines on what is an acceptable space for a person to live in after research showed that some workers currently had as little as 6m2 to live in. The new guidelines now stipulate that each person must have between 9-14m2 of habitable space. Simon explained that there was a dual interest in creating more seasonal accommodation, “apart from the purely social aspect, making 3 people live in less than 20m2 is a hindrance to economic development.” Sylvie Gillet de Thorey, vice president of the regions tourism, agrees having discovering that “80% of businesses employing seasonnaires admitted to having difficulty finding workers because of the lack of accommodation.”
Last year in Chamonix saw the opening of La Résidence des Cimes, established specifically to offer around 60 studios to seasonal workers at affordable rates. This week, an agreement has been reached to create another 600 beds in resort exclusively for seasonnaires, in a bid to follow the success of similar projects in Flaine, Les Gets and Courchevel. This year the Mairie has also set aside an area in the Grépon car park, behind the Aiguille du Midi cable car, specifically for seasonnaire campers where at least social services can keep an eye on them and ensure they are OK. For next year, the commune is in the process of looking for a suitable area where they can install electricity and toilet facilities and create a permanent site for camper vans.
For more information or assistance (in french) on finding seasonal accommodation in Chamonix visit the Town Hall website
Photo credit: Le Dauphine
