The development of the Eco-Valley in the Var plain funded until 2026  romandie.com 12 Mar 12 Financing of the ambitious Eco-Valley project in the Var plain West of Nice has been secured until 2026 with €64.5 million being raised by French state and regional partners. The French state will contribute 33.3%, with Nice City & Metropolis 33.3%, the General Council of the Alpes Maritimes 16.7% and the PACA Regional Council 16.7%. The ISO Eco-Valley, approved by the government in 2007, has the objective to develop and expand over 25 to 30 years 10,000 hectares of the Var plain creating a new international business district, a multimodal transport centre and an exhibition centre near Nice airport. It is expected to generate €2 billion of private investment and 27,000 jobs and 4,300 new homes. AFP.

Nice reveals its 'City of Tomorrow' at MIPIM  nicematin.com 09 Mar 12 The city of Nice revealed its ‘City of Tomorrow’ at the MIPIM property market in Cannes Thursday.  The Grand Arenas area is at the heart of the Eco Valley project which will turn the district in the West of Nice and the Var valley into a new business zone with a new exhibition centre, multi-modal transport hub, offices and homes. Internationally renowned architects Josep Lluis Mateo and Jeaan-Michel Wilmotte have been commissioned to design the project which also includes a new stadium. Nice mayor Christian Estrosi also announced Christian Devillers as the winning architect who will design the 26 hectare Technopolis area in front of the Palais Nikaia.

The Grand Arénas - the Côte d’Azur’s International Business Centre  investincotedazur.com 23 Apr 11 During MIPIM 2011, the Grand Arénas project was presented and the name of the internationally renowned Head Architect revealed, Josep Lluís Mateo. The Grand Arénas operation brings together the existing business district of the Arénas which has been developed over 10 ha, representing a total surface area of 155,000 m² and incorporates an extension project over 51 ha which will accommodate a large exhibition centre. To match its ambitions, the Grand Arénas project is now in the hands of one of the world's best urban architects responsible for exceptional creations and a regular winner of awards.

The first model of Nice's new eco-valley unveiled at MIPIM  Nice Matin 17 Mar 10 An ambitious project to reshape the Var plain took shape at MIPIM in Cannes. Until now just a concept, Nice’s eco-Valley is gradually taking shape. Its originator, the Industry Minister and Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, unveiled Tues, the first model of this ambitious project of sustainable development. After opening the MIPIM market for real estate professionals, Estrosi said the new eco-development project would not be in competition with Sophia-Antipolis. The area will be a laboratory environment, creating another way to live, work and travel for 120,000 people based around a new transportation hub. Jean-Paul Fronzes.

In recent years it has come to be considered as one of the most difficult areas of Nice in terms of social problems, urban degradation and overcrowding. To counter this trend, the area is now a priority for redevelopment by the National Agency for Urban Renewal (ANRU), a project supported by the Nice mayor and business affairs minister Christian Estrosi; Eric Ciotti, Député and President of the Conseil Général des Alpes-Maritimes and Préfet Francis Lamy. ANRU will evaluate and develop a renewal project and guarantee funding. The renovation plan for the Moulins district follows similar projects in Nice for the Pasteur district in 2005 and Ariane district in May 2007. The project should be completed by 2014 and will include homes, public spaces, shops and other facilities, all based on the ethos of sustainable development.

Nice Meridia: Economic and architectural showcase of the Plaine du Var Investincotedazur.com Nov 09 On 22 hectares, Nice Méridia benefits from an ideal location: only 500 yards from the 1st international airport in France after Paris, 2 minutes from the A8 motorway, in the heart of Nice Côte d'Azur conurbation. Nice Meridia will also be close to a multimodal platform with the arrival of the LGV and connection to the tram network. Among other projects developed by the Nice Côte d'Azur conurbation: Technopolis in Cagnes-sur-Mer.

The Saga of Cap Ferrat Zoo

British property developer Robert Bourne has given up on his plans to re-develop the site that until recently housed the Cap Ferrat Zoo, however the future of the land is now up in the air. Local authorities are looking at an institutional buy back of this prime piece of real estate and at who would manage any eventual re-opening of the zoo. Check out the latest news as we look at a step by step history of the battle to save the zoo.

Bernie Madoff's Riviera Assets

Last year people who had never met Bernie Madoff were queuing up to invest their wealth with him on the promise of secured returns. This year he is the scourge of the investmet world. The big question is how he got away with his $50bn 'Ponzi Scheme' scam for so long. Now US authorities want to seize his assets. His property on Cap d'Antibes is relatively modest valued at $1.6m. Madoff's $7m yacht 'Bull' is moored in the South of France.

Le Provençal Delayed By Property Market Crash

This massive project in Juans les Pins was slated to open in 2010 with local developers confident that the global property crash would not touch the Cote d'Azur. However, rumours abounded that the project had ground to a halt and even that it was unviable in the current economic climate. To address these rumours, Provençal Investments SA issued a press statement announcing that the project was now 'due for completion 2012'.

Dictators Properties on the Cote d'Azur

The Cote d'Azur has housed a motley crew of dictators and despots. In this section we feature the properties of the late President of Gabon, El Hadj Omar Bongo; Zaire's former dictator Mobuto Sese Seko; Iraqi disctator Sadam Hussein and Belgian King Leopold II.

Russian Oligarchs

Russia's post-Communist super rich businessmen, commonly referred to as the 'oligarchs', have become a fixture on the Cote d'Azur. Many have bought, and sold, some of the most prestigious real estate on the French Riviera. We look at some of the recent deals that have hit the headlines.