In the ancient town of Talmont-Saint- Hilaire (Vendée), below the imposing ruins of Richard the Lionheart’s castle, the long drawn out battle still rages over a new bypass on a section of French coastline protected by the law L146-6. To the south lies the Payré marshland, the southernmost ria (half buried river valley) on France’s Atlantic coast, rich in rare vegetation and wildlife.
The traffic thundering through the town centre to Sables-d’Olonne leaves nobody in doubt over the need for a deux fois deux voies – a dual carriageway – bypassing the town. The big question is where to put it. The Association Talmont Nord-Sud has been fighting the town council since its decision in 1993 to send the route south of the town.
Only part of the marshland to the south of Talmont is a designated area of outstanding natural beauty (zone remarquable) as well as a Natura 2000 site. A large area of marshland closer to Talmont’s southern limits was ignored by Vendée’s conseil général when it marked out the protected zone.