First demolitions of houses threatened by rising waters in Finistère

A few local residents gathered near Léhan beach to witness this unprecedented scene. The roof and walls of the two houses were eroded by the movements of the demolition excavator.

"With the advice of scientists, the decision was made that the only sustainable solution was to buy these seven houses and deconstruct them to restore the natural environment," Stéphane Le Doaré, president of the Communauté de communes du Pays Bigouden Sud (CCPBS), told AFP.

The community will devote three million euros to it, mainly from public funds.

Two other homes, among the seven targeted, will be demolished in the fall. For the remaining three, the procedures will take "18 to 24 months."

This preventive destruction in the face of the risks of coastal erosion and marine submersion is a first for the region, Mr. Le Doaré recalled.

"It's a difficult exercise. When I was elected president of the community of communes (in 2020, editor's note), I hadn't imagined that we would have this type of subject to deal with," he added.

These homes were built in low-lying areas in the 70s and 80s, separated from the beach by a single dune, which slowly thinned over time, leaving the houses exposed to the vagaries of storms.

For the other 366 houses in the Léhan district, two dikes will be built and rockfill will continue "to protect the other homes from a potential risk of submersion," said the president of the CCPBS.

In November 2023, in anticipation of the passage of Storm Ciaran, around twenty houses were evacuated by prefectural decree in the town of around 2.500 inhabitants.

Nearly a quarter of France's coasts are eroding, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, which is basing its findings on several studies.