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.
Significant noise disturbances
Beyond protecting the site, residents’ complaints also prompted the city to act. Several locals living close to the courts reported noise pollution caused by padel play—shouts from players, dull thuds, balls bouncing off the glass walls… This noisy sport created abnormal neighborhood disturbances. “Padel brought significant noise nuisances that we hear very clearly, because the environment is extremely quiet. There’s noise pollution because there are three courts with two players on each,” explained Gérard Médal, president of one of the nearby homeowner associations.
“Versailles is the first case and, in my view, it’s only the beginning. I think that at some point there will be so many cases, both in the media and in court, that legislation will eventually be introduced on this subject,” predicted Christophe Bonnet, a resident of Oise who founded a collective of around fifty people opposed to padel, as quoted by Le Parisien. Padel is also identified by the regional health agency as an activity likely to generate significant noise pollution and is therefore included on the list of developments requiring special monitoring. Canopies, for example, can help reduce noise.
Even if regulations are introduced to better control the installation of padel courts, the sport itself is unlikely to lose its appeal. Originating in Mexico, this cousin of tennis is enjoying unprecedented popularity. According to the FFT (French Tennis Federation), for the first time, the number of padel license holders in France surpassed 100,000 in June 2025, including over 10,000 in the Paris region (+73% compared to 2024). This figure represents a 42.7% increase compared to the end of the 2023/2024 sports season (70,500 license holders). The number of padel courts is also steadily rising: there are currently 2,917 courts in France (+40% compared to 2024) and 959 clubs and private facilities offering padel (+25% compared to 2024).
Read also > The “No Kids” trend: when hotels close their doors to children
Featured photo : © Unsplash
