French tourists are outraged. The Royal family from Saudi Arabia is visiting the French Riviera in southern France on a royal holiday, and French tourists are forced to move.
The Saudi royals and their large entourage will be spending a few weeks at their luxury mansion in Vallauris, which is right next to the picturesque Mirandole beach that is only accessible by a tunnel that runs beneath the coastal railway line.
And well before the scheduled royal holiday was due to begin, locals reacted with fury Wednesday when they found the tunnel fenced off and a mysterious concrete slab laid down by the entrance to the beach. Both actions, according to local authorities, are completely illegal.
Local residents have been barred from a public beach on the French Riviera ahead of the Saudi royal family’s visit later this summer. The decision to close the beach, allegedly for security reasons, has triggered a wave of outrage from the locals. The building has been unoccupied for several years.
A construction crew began to gear up for the visit several weeks ago. One of the upgrades installed in the house is a staircase or a lift that will connect the villa to the beach directly.
Local authorities said that people will be prohibited from using the public beach while the Saudi royal family is staying there.
Residents filed a complaint with the local government, arguing that proper permits had not been filed prior to the installation.
Authorities concluded that the builder’s actions were illegal, and confirmed that the proper permits had not been received in time. “We have had no planning application for this work,” Vallauris Mayor Michelle Salucki told local newspaper Nice Matin.
Local police have been alerted and have been told to remove this obstruction to public access.
However, the sub-prefect of the local town of Grasse, Philippe Castanet, told AFP that the Saudi royal family had been given the green light to use the public beach as a private space during their stay.
This public beach will be completely closed off during the Saudi royal family’s visit. It's still debated whether or not areas will be fenced off from the public, and exactly when full public access to the beach will be available again/
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