A four-story building built in 1967 and located 200 meters from the shoreline has been acquired by the Médoc Atlantique intercommunal community for demolition. The structure, located in Soulac-sur-Mer in the Gironde region, was forced to vacate in 2014 when it became just ten meters from the sea due to coastal erosion. The retreat of the dune base has been measured at an average of 5.2 meters per year at the Négade and 4.9 meters per year along the Sables d'Argent and Naïades beaches. This erosion is not due to rising sea levels but the loss of sand, which is being carried away by the sea faster than it is being replenished. The building’s 75 co-owners were forced to leave after the risk of collapse became imminent. Despite the 2014 decree mandating the building’s evacuation, demolition only began in February 2023, nearly nine years later. The purchase of the property by the intercommunal community was not a private transaction. In France, compensation for property loss due to predictable and unavoidable coastal erosion is typically not allowed. However, a 2020 corrective finance law allowed the co-owners to claim 70 percent of the original value of their properties, totaling seven million euros. The demolition itself cost the community 300,000 euros. Coastal erosion is a growing concern across France, with 371 communes now classified to adapt their urban planning to the risks of coastal erosion. These include 31 in Aquitaine, 41 in Brittany, and 16 in Normandy. The Climate and Resilience Act of 2021 created a specific legal framework for these communes, requiring them to map the expected short- and long-term evolution of the coastline. These maps help guide urban planning, including restrictions on building in high-risk areas and a right of preemption for local authorities to purchase properties in particularly exposed zones. This system has expanded significantly, with 371 communes now on the list compared to 126 in 2022. The retreat of the coastline varies depending on the type of terrain. In sandy areas like Aquitaine, the average retreat is between 1 and 3 meters per year, with some areas experiencing up to 6 meters of loss annually. In contrast, rocky coasts see slower erosion, but projections suggest significant retreat by 2050. Interestingly, some dunes are advancing rather than retreating, such as the Pilat dune, which moves forward at an average rate of 1 to 2 meters per year. These varying dynamics highlight the complexity of coastal erosion, which affects not only the landscape but also the value and safety of coastal properties.