Written by Tim Stanley – UK INVESTORS IN MGM’S LATEST ALPINE DEVELOPMENT COULD LEAVE SMALLER ‘CARBON FOOTPRINTS’ IN THE SNOW

Enthusiasm for train travel to the ski slopes of the French Alps is set to increase as work nears completion on London’s new St Pancras International Terminal. In November this year the station will become the departure point for faster Eurostar journeys to France which, during the ski season, will include a weekly direct service to the Alpine town of Bourg St Maurice.

Alert to the needs of British skiers wanting to leave a smaller ‘carbon footprint’ than their jet-setting colleagues, leading French developer MGM has announced plans for a development of new apartments in the town centre, within a five-minute walk of the railway station.

Bourg St Maurice is a popular ‘hub’ served by coach services to popular ski resorts – notably Tignes, Val d’Isere, la Rosiere, Vallandry and La Plagne – as well as a seven-minute funicular railway link with Les Arcs 1600 and the 420 km of pistes in the Paradiski skiing area.

Located on the busy N90 trunk road through the Tarentaise, the old world town of Bourg St Maurice is set to become peaceful once again when a major new by-pass comes into effect, keeping traffic away from the town centre, reports MGM’s London-based sales consultant Richard Deans.

“The town will be transformed as other major improvement plans take shape,” he predicts.

MGM is in the vanguard of the multi-million pound investment programme which is expected to result in huge improvements to the lifestyles of those who live there.

The company has taken the wraps off plans to build two new developments. One is Le Coeur d’Or, a residence hoteliere on the edge of town which will include 45 leaseback apartments, a cinema, a brasserie, shops and a bowling centre. The other is Le Grand Coeur, a residential development in the heart of the town comprising 63 apartments for outright purchase.

Located within three traditionally-styled chalets, the apartments will range in size from studios with floor areas of around 29 sq m to four-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex homes of 100 sq m. Most will have large balconies or terraces with views of the mountains which surround the town.

Constructed using local materials, the chalets will be finished in timber and stone on external walls. Inside they will feature pine finishes with tiled and parquet floors.
Each home comes with cellar storage and an underground car parking space.

Prices of the apartments at Le Grand Coeur will start at around euros120,000 for a studio, rising to around euros450,000 for a four-bedroom duplex.

Richard describes Bourg St Maurice as “one of the most exciting places to invest in the French Alps.”

“Prices at Le Grand Coeur will be lower than those for comparable properties in all the surrounding resorts, which makes this an interesting investment opportunity,” he says.

“Now is a good time to buy, not only because off-plan prices will rise as soon as the development is nearing completion in December next year, but also because the massive improvements planned for the town mean that its popularity – and demand for accommodation – will soar in the years ahead.”

Currently a two-bedroom apartment in Bourg St Maurice can be let for around euros800 during a peak season week but Richard expects this figure tol pass the euros1,000 mark before long.

The Eurostar journey time from London to Bourg St Maurice currently takes around seven-and-a-half hours but that will be reduced when the new service from St Pancras gets underway. Outside the ski season Eurostar travellers from London can change trains in Paris to take the four-and-a-half hour TGV journey to Bourg St Maurice. For those who prefer to fly from the UK, the nearest airport is at Lyon, one hour and 45 minutes away by road from Bourg St Maurice.

For more information :
MGM French properties
Kingsland House
122 – 124 Regent Street
London W1B 5SA
Telephone 0207 4940706.
In the Republic of Ireland dial 01 5290152.
www.mgm-constructeur.com

Media enquiries :
Tim Stanley of
Tim Stanley Public Relations

Tel:01179 625 658