Uzès and Pont-du-Gard

The popularity of Le Languedoc-Roussillon in general and the excellent reputation of Uzès and Pont du Gard in particular tend to erase the effects of the crisis. Local estate-agents take us on a tour…

Located within the triangle formed by Alès, Avignon and Nîmes, Uzès, home to close on 8,100 people, is linked to the three municipalities by bus. Surrounded by scrubland and vines, this lovely town in the Gard was a bishopric from the 5th century to 1817. In 1565, it was designated as a duchy. Tormented by ferocious religious wars, it now hosts a cathedral, church, temple and mosque. The town’s restoration began in 1965. In a perfect state of preservation, the centre of this City of Art and History features façades dating back to the 16th and 18th centuries, pedestrian streets with medieval touches and three feudal towers. Its history remains inseparable from the construction of the Pont du Gard. Built on three levels in the 1st century A.D., the famous Roman aqueduct straddles the river. The region of the Gard now consists of 17 communes, the largest of which are Remoulins and Aramon with 2,300 and 3,900 inhabitants respectively. The first shelters an authentic village behind its walls, with a listed 11th-century. bell-tower and the grotto of La Salpêtrière. If the second boasts magnificent 17th- and 18th-century mansions, it is also known for its power plant with a chimney 250 feet high. The old Roman bridge crosses the river at Vers-Pont-du-Gard.

“Thanks to an efficient healthcare centre, a good choice of shops and schools up to secondary level, Uzès benefits from a certain independence,” says Johanne Neurant of Cigal Immo. Turned more towards Montpellier than the capital of the Vaucluse, despite its being further away, it has some weighty arguments in its favour, including amenities of undeniable quality and picture-postcard scenery. Our estate-agent distinguishes two types of demand : all meeting with real success, recent houses inside the town walls or in villages within a 10-km radius, costing from 300,000 to 350,000 € for living space of 100-120 m2 in good condition with a garden of at least 1,000 m2, and old renovated buildings with grounds, priced from 500,000 to 650,000 €, a segment suffering from a shortage. Regretting not being able to offer more examples of this kind, Johanne Neurant mentions the recent sale of a “mas” of 200 m2, opening out to a garden of 500 m2, for 690,000 €. Inclined to pay cash, young retirees and occasional residents, either French or Belgian, show genuine enthusiasm. According to the “Observatoire de l’Immobilier”, 60 % of buyers are from outside the “département”, while Nîmes displays the inverse ratio. In the first half of 2009, agencies saw a decline of about 10 % in the number of transactions, a decline which was offset from July onwards. While it is wise to refrain from drawing too-hasty conclusions, there has been a marked upswing in terms of enquiries. After a 10 % drop in the case of basic homes, prices finally seem to be stabilizing. “Prices of exceptional properties remain steady,” confirms Isabelle Brughera of Charme & Terroir Immobilier. The duchy is quite definitely the most sought after address in “département 30”. Stone houses with gardens top the list. Holding strong even in times of crisis, this rare commodity sometimes exceeds 1 million euros, a sum bringing a property of 250-300 m2 in grounds of 3,000 m2 near La Lauze, a neighbourhood within walking distance of the historic centre.

“It’s hard to compete with Uzès,” adds Isabelle Brughera. “The community made up by the Pont-du-Gard communes is taking up the challenge, thanks in particular to the proximity of motorways and TGV railway stations in Avignon and Nîmes. Castillon, a beautifully restored medieval village with price-tags similar to those in the duchy, Saint-Hilaire-d’Ozilhan, a little further on, and Vers, enjoying breathtaking views of the Pont du Gard, all have their fans.” Collias, considered as their “beach” by the people of Nîmes, forms a junction between the two sectors. “At the crossroads of the Vaucluse and the Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon and the PACA region, the site offers a wealth of rural areas, peaceful and affordable,” comment Audrey Girard and Bernard Andrieu of the Agence du Pont-du-Gard. Those working locally dispose of infrastructures necessary for everyday life. Delighted to find prices 15 % cheaper than in Uzès for equivalent housing, first-time buyers invest 200,000 to 250,000 € in 3-bedroom “pavillons” with gardens of 600 m2, while those looking for holiday homes pay 140,000 € for a village house of 70 m2 giving onto a courtyard of the same size in Remoulins, or 530,000 € for a villa of 130 m2 between Remoulins and Beaucaire, with a swimming pool and grounds of 2,000 m2. Ready to embark on the venture of building their own homes, the locals are specially interested in acquiring land, which here costs from 100 to 130 €/m2.

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