Le Coin de Val – a new Quarter for Val d’Isere

By now, you’ve probably heard about Val D’Isere’s facelift that’s set to happen over the next 5 years. Due to start September 2017 and for completion in 2022, Val D’Isere is undertaking a €200m redevelopment of the town which is set to make an outstanding impact not only on skier and visitor experience, but also on property prices – As one of the leading estate agents in Val d’Isere, we’re delighted to give you some more information on the project:

Named ‘Le Coin de Val’, this huge project aims to make the most of the fantastic snow conditions that Val D’Isere enjoys throughout the season. With the town sitting at 1550m, it gives it that little bit of height on lots of other ski resorts, which will be necessary as one of the main attractions of the redevelopment is to extend the ‘Front de Neige’ from the bottom of the piste all the way down to the first roundabout – making that area totally snow covered and to allow people to ski closer to their accommodation.

As an overview, the project looks to cover 25,000sqm of space, incorporating the following:

– Welcome hall with reception, luggage facilities, changing and shower areas and waiting rooms.
– Bus station with both above ground and underground elements to free up the road.
– Two 4* Hotels with 50 bedrooms.
– Apartments for around 800 people
– Children’s area. 1400m2 indoor and 800m2 outdoor space.
– Mechanical walkway connecting slopes and lifts to Avenue Olympique.
– Le Tour De Val – 7 floors with shops and restaurants including a top floor restaurant with panoramic views

As a result of this, for property owners and estate agents the redevelopment has many differing levels. The main advantage is that Val D’Isere is already one of the only places where a waiting list exists for property, on top of the fact that in the last 2 years alone (since the Solaise lift development), prices for high quality or renovated properties have increased by 17.7%. This means that the average cost for high spec apartments is now more than €20,000 per square metre; with ski-in ski-out properties fetching up to €25,000 per square metre.

As far as this new development goes, it would seem that the developers have put careful consideration into the aesthetics of the town and the impact that this will have. They’ve incorporated underground roads and walkways in order to clear-up the town centre, and really seem to be making the most of their space. Visually, the new buildings will be created in line with the oldest parts of the village, with differing heights of building and different materials to be used in order to appear as if it’s been built up over different eras (although mainly using stone, slate and wood to follow the current style of the town).

The phases are as follows (note the convenient avoidance of the winter season to prevent disruption):

September 2017 – November 2017. Asbestos removal and demolition of public buildings
May 2018 – November 2019. Construction of section 1, known as “Avale” including public facilities (bus station, nursery and Val d’Isère “Accueil” reception building).
May 2019 – November 2020. Construction of section 2, known as “Centrale”.
May 2021 – November 2022. Construction of section 3, known as “Amont” including the underground mechanical walkway that will connect the slopes to the centre of Le Coin.

This redevelopment will be a momentous event for Val D’Isere and could potentially make a huge indent on what we currently see as the ski industry; providing a much friendlier user experience; namely less walking in ski boots and a better flow of traffic (both pedestrian and motorised) throughout the town. Whilst some people are sad to see a few familiar names be demolished and re-integrated into the development (Le Petit Danois and La Casserole) locals seem to be generally on board with the change, and the planning agents are hoping that old family-run businesses see it as a chance to reinvent themselves to the ever changing skier market.

Val D’Isere has already won European Ski Resort of the Year and overall Ski Resort of the Year – it’ll be interesting to see how this development takes shape over the next 5 years.

Free Spirit Alpine will be keeping a watchful eye over progress, with our local expert Anna Barber on hand to guide you through the opportunities to purchase property in this new quarter. Do contact her today with any questions you have.