This planning project which will gather economic activities as well as sports, leisure and tourist activities in “Les Haut de Saint- Hilaire” is very ambitious. Around this 345 acres green belt dedicated to the creation of two golf courses (which will respectively have 18 and 9 holes), a 20 to 25 rooms hotel will be built, but also around 300 houses, block houses and villas, an area of activities ( 49 acres for non-polluting enterprises) and sports facilities (a ridding school and a tennis court).
The site which was chosen stretches at the edge of Alès, between the exhibition center of Méjannes-lez-Alès and Airport of Deaux. The necessary plot of lands has been purchased and the works will begin by 2011 so that the golf course can open by 2012. ‘This is a structuring project for Grand Alès which could give a new impulse to economics and to tourism in the region’, says Max Roustan, ‘we have issued specifications which take into account green spaces: on the 617 acres only 10% will be concreted and 99 acres of protected woods will be left untouched.'

A reference course

An unobstructed view on Mont Lozère and Mont Aigoual, a succession of dales and hills, a competitive 18 holes course on 6 500 meters and a 9 holes school course, Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas golf complex has a ‘strong potential’, says Alain Prat, the architect in charge who already worked on 50 golf courses worldwide.
‘We have to turn these beautiful landscapes to good account with their changes in altitude and varieties of green settings. It’s a very beautiful site which has suffered no pollution whether it is visual or noise pollution.’ In all, the course seems to have everything to become a reference.

Economic stakes

Golf benefits from a constantly increasing passion, with 45% of golf players more than ten years ago. In Languedoc-Roussillon, only 17 golf courses have been built and the need is even more important in the hinterland. The overcrowding of the Nîmes course illustrates the phenomenon. ‘The economic weight of the Golf Field cannot be neglected’, explains Max Roustan, 'in the end, the whole project could created 250 jobs, and bring more than 300 residents and tourists.’

Ecological watering

Saint Hilaire golf watering will not take a drop of water from the natural resources. Indeed, the watering will use the water coming out from the sewage treatment plant of Saint-Hilaire-de-Brehtmas thanks to a 1.6 miles pipe. Waters will be treated thanks to a sand filter and then will be sterilized by ultraviolet. The plant rejects around 24 000m² of treated water a day in the Gardon. And a golf course like Saint-Hilaire’s needs 120 000 to 160 000m² of water a year. Which would correspond to roughly 2 or 4% of the treated water rejected by the plant; 10% in summer… an insignificant quantity which will have no impact on the Gardon water levels.