Noise pollution: 17,000 residents exposed and a third of the runways close to homes

The spectacular growth of padel in France is accompanied by a phenomenon that has received little attention: the exposure of populations to nuisances related to the land , particularly sound-related.

A recent scientific study published in the journal City and Environment Interactions brings for the first time a Detailed analysis of the geographical distribution of padel courts in France and their proximity to homes .

The results reveal unprecedented figures: more than 17,000 people live within 100 meters of a site and nearly a third of the installations have a potentially high level of exposure for local residents .

With helpby EchoPadel et ScienceDirect Let's take a closer look at a topic that sometimes causes a stir…

A national database of 878 padel sites

To conduct this analysis, the researchers compiled a detailed database of padel courts in metropolitan France.

Several pieces of information were collected for each site:

club name
address
town
department
region

Each A site corresponds to a complex comprising one or more plots of land. .

In total, 878 sites were identified. distributed across:

747 French municipalities
89 out of 96 departments
all 13 metropolitan regions

It means that More than 2% of French municipalities already have at least one padel court. illustrating the rapid spread of this sport across the territory.

17,000 residents exposed and a third of the land near homes

An analysis conducted in three phases

The study is based on a detailed spatial analysis methodology conducted over a period of fifteen days.

The evaluation was carried out by two independent examiners , 2 16 in September 2025 , using:

des open satellite images
des GIS (Geographic Information Systems) data
updated map layers

The plots were then classified according to their potential level of exposure for local residents taking into account, in particular:

of the distance to dwellings
direct visibility between the land and the dwelling
the presence of obstacles (buildings or screens)

Three levels of exposure for local residents

Following the analysis, the sites were classified into three categories.

Class 1: potentially high exposure

271 websites
30,87% of total

Class 2: low or no exposure

567 websites
64,58%

Class 3: Indeterminate exposure

40 websites
4,56%

In other words, Nearly one in three plots of land could present a significant risk of nuisance to nearby residents .

A key condition: direct visibility of the dwellings

To be classified as Class 1 , a plot of land had to meet a specific criterion:

the presence of at least one residential building located within 100 meters with direct visibility (line of sight).

That means :

no intermediate building
no architectural obstacle
direct propagation of sound possible

The GIS measurements carried out under QGIS confirmed this condition for all of the 271 sites classified as having high exposure .

More than 3,000 buildings located within 100 meters

The study also precisely quantified the exposed population.

In total :

3,037 residential buildings are located within 100 meters of a padel court.

These dwellings represent:

17,116 people
750,000 households

La The average distance between these dwellings and the land is 71,9 meters. .

Direct exposure for nearly half of the inhabitants

Researchers distinguish between two situations:

direct exposure (without obstruction)

1,688 buildings
8 717 people
750,000 households
Average distance: 65,8 m

masked display (with obstacles)

1,688 buildings
8 400 people
750,000 households
Average distance: 76,8 m

So, More than half of the exposed residents experience direct noise propagation , without an architectural screen.

Dwellings sometimes located less than 50 meters away

The study also highlights particularly sensitive situations.

dwellings located between 0 and 50 meters

direct exposure

337 listed historical buildings
3 278 people
750,000 households

Average distance: 34,3 m

masked exhibition

170 listed historical buildings
1 092 people
509 households

Average distance: 38,1 m

These distances are considered as very critical in acoustic studies because impulsive noises can remain very perceptible at these distances.

A highly contrasting territorial presence

The study also analyzes the regional distribution of land.

The best-equipped regions are:

Region	Locations
Occitanie	153
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	128
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	125
Nouvelle Aquitaine	123
Ile-de-France	81

Conversely:

Region	Locations
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	20
Centre-Val de Loire	15
Corsica	6

Overrepresentation in certain regions

The SIR statistical indicator (over-representation ratio) shows marked differences.

For example:

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur: SIR 1,61

This means that the land there is 61% more numerous than what would be observed if the distribution were proportional to the population.

Conversely:

Centre-Val de Loire: SIR 0,22

be one significant underrepresentation .

Smaller municipalities are more exposed

The study also analyzes the land according to the density of municipalities (INSEE classification) .

results:

type of municipality	share of class 1 land
major urban centers	26,09%
intermediate urban centers	32,60%
urban fringes	28,10%
rural towns	30,94%
small towns	43,04%
scattered rural areas	40%

In other words, Small towns have the highest proportion of land likely to generate nuisances .

An issue of environmental justice

These results raise a central question: Are all populations exposed equally to nuisances?

The study suggests that:

small municipalities often have fewer urban engineering resources
the fields are sometimes located closer to homes
the dedicated sports areas are less numerous

As a result, the inhabitants of these territories can be more exposed to the environmental impacts of padel .

Conclusion: What the study reveals

The main lessons are clear:

878 padel sites analyzed in France
271 sites (31%) have a high exposure potential
3,037 residential buildings located within 100 m
17,116 inhabitants affected
507 buildings located within 50 m
Small towns: 43% of land classified as having high exposure

This data shows that Urban planning for padel courts is becoming an important issue for local authorities. .

A challenge for local authorities

With the rapid growth of padel, local authorities will likely need to integrate more of the following:

acoustic studies
minimum distances
sound screens
consultation with local residents

Because beyond the popularity of the sport, the challenge now is to to ensure balanced and socially acceptable development of sports infrastructure .

Source

Dufour JC., Bonnet C.
Padel courts and residential exposure in metropolitan France
City and Environment Interactions, 29 (2026) 100300.

INSEE data – population estimate 2025.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.