Location of potential gite

Hi, I’m new here so be gentle. I apologise in advance if I ramble.

We are looking to move over for good in 2022 when I can retire early. I am not interested in sitting down and doing not much. I like to be busy.
We thought that, for something to keep us busy, a gite would be a good thing to do as my wife and I both have previous experience in the tourism and leisure industry. It would also top up our income as a bonus.

Now the question: A while ago, I seem to recall reading somewhere a regulation about where you can have a gite. I am sure it mentioned about being a certain distance from something. I have searched but cannot find it again. I think the distance was 500m but I cannot remember the item. (farm, barn, church etc?) Does anyone have any knowledge or have I dreamt it up?

Thanks

I think you have dreamt this up. there are plenty of gites in small towns and villages, so no problem.
There are many other regulations to tackle though.

Hi Graham welcome to the forum
I too remember something on the lines you mention from some time past - might it have been something to do with the proximity of agricultural buildings housing animals to a new building for human occupation?

It could have been exactly that. Numerous attempts at googling have come up blank though.

I hope you are correct Jane. It would mean looking for property is more straight forward. I know about the other regulations but cannot find this one.

I had the same problem finding a reference too.
The only advice I can proffer is for you to discuss you plans on any potential property you have in mind with the local maire before progressing further. We did that on each one we had a serious interest in and were able to discount many just on that basis. In one case, a promise that the plot of land had CU for a house but when we spoke to the maire he told us it did, but it had lapsed some years previously and would be unlikely to be re-granted!

A general question that might or might not be relevant in this thread.
On 31st December British citizens will lose their right of freedom of movement to live and work in the EU. People resident before that date will qualify for a TdS that shows that those rights are, to a certain degree, maintained. British citizens wanting to move after 01/01/2021 will still be able to do so by jumping through similar hoops that third country nationals have to do now. To start a business those people have to apply for and receive the correct visa allowing them to work, a basic residency permit is not enough.
Does running a Chambres d’Hotes or gites count as a business?

It depends how you set it up. Some gites are set up as a business venture, others I don’t think are. The LMNP category - louer meublé non-professional - is a bit weird. For us we exist in a halfway house, so have a SIRET/SIREN and pay CFE tax. But in other areas such as being able to access the fonds de solidarité we are not considered a business! And we have to keep our turnover below 23k€.

It would be interesting if other on here who have gites say what their structure is. We are a Societé de Fait.

I imagine a lot of information about visas will appear over the next few months, and which will clarify options for the newly non-european British.

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Thanks.

It is the protected zone around a historic building or site where special planning regulations apply.

En France, les règles sont strictes en terme de protection des bâtiments qui font partie de notre patrimoine. Et si chaque édifice classé ou inscrit en tant que monument historique doit être protégé, on estime que ces édifices sont indissociables de leur environnement immédiat. C’est pourquoi les monuments historiques font l’objet d’un périmètre de protection de 500 mètres, ce qui permet de maitriser la perception que l’on a de ce bâtiment, mais également de veiller à sa conservation dans les meilleures conditions.