Oyster farmers are a shy breed, says 33-year-old “Pierre”, in part-explanation for not wanting his real name to be used. But his reticence is also due to his situation as someone who was born, raised and now runs a successful business on the ?le de Ré, on France’s west coast — but can’t afford to buy a home there.

“Even finding somewhere to rent is hard as most owners want to rent out their houses and get high rents from tourists in August, so if you do find a rental property, you often have to vacate it in summer,” he says. His oyster farm and restaurant are located in Ars-en-Ré, a picturesque village with a distinctive black-and-white Gothic church and narrow alleyways of flower-clad houses. But on a small island with limited housing stock — and little available for sale — even a small two-bedroom house there will cost more than €1mn.

Pierre and his girlfriend have found a solution, however. Since last September, the island’s urban plan (PLUi) has allowed homeowners to subdivide and sell off parts of their plots. “We did a deal with my parents and bought a 50 sq m portion of their five-bedroom holiday home in Le Bois Plage and turned that into a one-bed house,” he says. “We all agreed, of course, but normally it’s not that easy as people fight to have a bit of the ?le de Ré. Other people I know end up renting mobile homes long term.”