A view of the hanging
gardens, promenade and lake at the upcoming Villages Nature resort
I
t’s been talked about for a decade, but finally the development of Euro Disney’s ecotourism destination is gathering speed, with opening scheduled for 2016. The vision for the €700m ($871m, £554m)
Villages Nature project is ambitious, and it’s a departure from typical theme park accommodation offerings. Villages Nature – a collaboration
between Euro Disney and Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs – is a sustainable tourism destination for the family market, located in Marne-la-Vallée, 32km (20 miles) east of Paris, France. The concept revolves around short and medium-stay vacations in cottages and apartments surrounded by forests, lakes and gardens. “It’s about relaxation and discovery and
having a responsible attitude towards the environment,” says Villages Nature general manager Dominique Cocquet. The 259-hectare (640-acre) total
site will be developed in stages. The first phase of 180 hectares (445 acres) consists of 1,730 cottages and apartments, with a capacity of approximately 8,000,
AM 1 2015 ©Cybertrek 2015
and is expected to be completed between 2020 and 2022. Villages Nature’s official figures forecast an estimated 900,000 guests per year, generating local tax revenues of €7m ($8.7m, £5.5m) annually and creating around 1,600 direct jobs. Phase one will open in two stages, with
phase 1A opening in two parts in 2016 and in 2017/2018, and phase 1B open by 2022. Phase one includes 16 hectares (40
acres) of recreational facilities and attractions. The flagship attraction is the AquaLagoon, a large indoor waterpark and open-air geothermal lagoon. There’ll also be an interactive working farm that teaches visitors about agriculture and animals, two forest adventure areas with activities such as rope courses, tree climbing trails and bungee jumping. There’ll also be play areas, a library, a bowling alley, hanging gardens, a spa with saunas and Turkish baths, and 10,500sqm (113,000sq ft) of retail and dining. The first part of phase 1A opens in
Q3 2016, comprising 916 cottages and apartments and two-thirds of the recrea- tional facilities, including the AquaLagoon.
Phase 1A has a budget of €500m ($623, £398m). The rest of the €700m is for the further 241 cottages opening by 2018.
JOINT VENTURE Les Villages Nature de Val d’Europe SAS is a joint subsidiary formed as a 50/50 venture between parent company Euro Disney SCA and Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs. The entire project, from property planning to design to construction, is being managed by Villages Natures SAS, which will form an operations arm of the company in 2016 to manage the resort. Villages Nature is the project owner for
the design, development, construction and operational planning. The cottages and apartments will be sold to individual investors according to Pierre & Vacances- Center Parcs’ property financing model – a leaseback scheme where investors own the units, which are then managed and maintained by Villages Nature. Institutional investors will take ownership of the central shared facilities. Villages Nature is supported by the French government, which recognises
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PHOTO: ©
T.HUAU/INTERSCÈNE; JEAN DE GASTINES ARCHITECTES; JACQUES FERRIER ARCHITECTURES
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