Littoral path

A littoral path , sometimes called “ path or way of the customs officers ” in France, is a space of ambulation pedestrian in edge of the maritime field (Mer or Océan). Arranged generally well because with strong added tourist value, the littoral paths often made it possible at the origin to ensure the customs integrity of the territory, by reserving for the State management borders.

Legal establishment

In France

The concept of littoral path east establishes by the law n° 1285 of December 31st, 1976, which takes again a Napoleonean use of the Civil code French. It was a question of founding a Servitude of three meters minimum in edge of any coast of the maritime Public domain. That related to in particular the zones where installations (private houses, hotels, embarcadaires…) the free access of the citizens had blocked to the littoral. The principle was confirmed thereafter in the Loi littoral of 1986 (or Relative law with installation, protection and the development of the littoral ).

These paths intend for circulation pedestrians exclusively and are managed jointly by the communes and the Departmental management of the Equipment. The municipal councils can decide to adapt their layouts and/or as of suspending them, according to the osbtacles or the needs local. When it is not possible to make differently, a littoral path can cross private properties (of which the occupants generally refitted the edges to extract the layout from the path out of a fence or an enclosure): the possible damage does not open right to any financial equalization. This irrefutable fact can make think that the Law littoral is on this point retroactive .

Many littoral paths are GR. largely attended, for example in the Manche, the Finistere and the Var. These portions are supervised and maintained by several bodies: communes, assocations of residents, French federation of hiking…

Trivia

Certains littoral paths is sinkable, for example in bays; others are regularly recalled due to erosion, for example when cliffs crumble or that a dune moves back…
the infringements with the law n° 1285 were numerous, in particular because constructions had already been carried out on the littoral before the promulgation of the law. An example remains famous is a residence of Eddie Barclay, on which the intervention of the army had been necessary to explode the enclosing walls contravening the law, after all the recourse friendly had been exhausted.

See too

External bonds

Law Littoral n° 6-2 on Légifrance
Right of the littoral, a digest of the official texts
friends of - defense association and the protection covered ways of the path