Anglet, the future of the Basque country

Known as being one of the largest communes in France with a surface area of 26.93 km2, Anglet offers picture-postcard scenery with its beaches, forests and little coves. Undergoing considerable expansion, the town is setting its sights firmly on the future.

Members of the real-estate industry all agree : Anglet has a very bright future. It boasts some important assets : a mixed population and diverse housing (which some people find ill-assorted), a size which is nevertheless on a human scale, an atmosphere made lively by several town centres and potential raising everyone’s hopes. Admittedly ageing, its accommodation is being extensively renovated, and is still affordable for the Basque coast (unlike that of some of its neighbours) and the new PUL will lead to urbanization of the centres. While 10% of Anglet is covered by pine forests (those of Pignada, Le Lazaret and Chiberta), it also offers eleven beaches over a stretch of 4.5 km set north-south. Its charm also lies in its many different neighbourhoods, of which the most highly-prized is indisputably Chiberta. Here, urban planning allows for all kinds of styles, opening the door to originality : a typical Basque home will stand next to a Californian-style villa or a timberframe house. A neighbourhood dedicated to second residences, Chiberta plays host to 24 company directors whose firms are listed on the CAC 40 stock exchange, as well as a few French tennis stars now enjoying retirement. The starting-price for a house is 900,000 €, a price which can easily soar to 4 million euros and much more in the case of a beautiful contemporary home on the seafront. Apartments in the few luxury residences on the Boulevard des Plages cost from 4,000 € per sq. metre and can attain 10,000 €, without a sea view, as long as their appointments are up to scratch.

”Chiberta, with its beach, golf-course and tennis courts, is a seaside resort which is drawing more and more foreigners, particularly Russians in search of security, privacy and very high-class properties in turnkey condition,” says Julian Girard of Coldwell Banker. “They are very demanding clients, prepared to invest considerable sums of money, who then become extremely loyal.” If they don’t actually buy, or at least, not immediately, they rent out properties and are again little concerned by expense on condition that their dream house is in immediate proximity to the beach and golf-course, and offers very generous living space and luxurious appointments. For these amenities, they pay from 14,000 to 15,000 € per week.

Also benefiting from a privileged environment, Chambre d’Amour has a popularity rating that is stable and unlikely to weaken. The French like the authentic character of its old houses, some dating back to the 1920’s and some occasionally still awaiting refurbishment. The housing is denser here than in Chiberta, the atmosphere more neighbourly, with shops providing residents with all the necessary amenities. Developers are keen to build whenever they are given the chance : Bouygues, for example, built “Lesquerdo” two years ago, a development of 50 apartments whose price per sq. metre started at 5,000 €, rising to 6,000 € with a view of the sea. “Anadara” is a development undergoing construction which has met with great success, as only a few apartments are still available,” says Emmanuelle Hirigoyen of the Biarritz Golf agency. “High-quality appointments and a prime location justify the price of 8,000 € per sq. metre.” For a house with just a glimpse of the ocean, one needs a budget of 8,000 to 10,000 €/m2, and on average 1,000 €/m2 for building plots. A neighbourhood also seeing a lot of development, Chambre d’Amour has a majority of main residences and benefits from its proximity to Biarritz. Then come other addresses, certainly less plush, but always drawing interest : Les Cinq Cantons (from 3,500 to 4,000 €/m2), La Mairie, further from the seafront and mainly consisting of more modest “pavillons”, Blancpignon and Montbrun, undergoing real renewal with shops and houses (170 m2 with a garden of 1,000 m2 priced on average at 650,000 €), and even further out, Sutar. Here, a distinction should be drawn between the right­hand part of the neighbourhood enjoying a view of the Pyrenees and proposing properties of quality, such as a house of 450 m2 on about 4.45 acres of land, on offer at 2,700,000 €, and another of 375 m2 also on several acres of land, acquired by a developer for 1,700,000 €. Closer to the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz motorway, properties cost less due to the noise ; about 400 €/m2. “Generally speaking, in the centre of Anglet, one needs a budget of 500,000 to 600,000 € to become the owner of a detached house,” say Alexandra and Charles Guinel of Crazy Home. “This commune is a sector with a future in terms of real estate, perfectly suited to the new life-style which is beginning to emerge and still affordable for the Basque coast.” All good reasons for investing in Anglet.