It’s a sport that keeps growing, especially in the Paris region. Padel, played on an enclosed glass court where the ball can bounce off the walls, is nonetheless starting to irritate some residents living near the facilities.
Playing sports? Yes. Disturbing neighbors? No. That’s the conclusion reached by the courts after complaints were filed by residents of Versailles, in the Yvelines. Backed by the city council, they accused the five-star Trianon Palace hotel of causing noise pollution through its Royal Padel Club, which has been operating since late 2024.
Protecting a heritage site
Built on a protected, non-buildable site behind the luxury hotel—without authorization—the three seven-meter-high padel courts are set to be demolished. The city had sent several removal requests to the hotel and the company managed by Michel Ohayon, which responded by proposing to repaint the structure green. Last February, following a contradictory procedure, “the city issued a formal notice against the parties violating urban planning rules, ordering them to dismantle the structure and restore the site to its original state, with a penalty of €500 per day of delay, capped at €25,000,” it stated on its website. A legal action was then initiated. In July, the Versailles judicial court ruled in favor of the complete removal of these facilities.
“There are, of course, very strong heritage protections at this location. People didn’t understand, since they were saying, ‘But we’re always asked to complete complicated applications, and we often don’t get authorization.’ And yet here, there was a construction project carried out without even a request being made,” said François de Mazières, mayor (Independent right) of Versailles, speaking to France 3 Paris Île-de-France.
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