This is a victory for the residents of the lovely Place Sainte-Catherine (4th arrondissement). The Paris City Hall has just won its case in court against the shopkeepers who had formed an association to defend their right to expand their terraces beyond all limits.
The administrative court ruled in favor of the mayor of Paris Center Ariel Weil who contested the unreasonable extension of the service on the terrace. In recent years, tables have occupied not only the surroundings of restaurants but also the central reservation.
The neighbors, irritated by the noise, alerted the municipality. Once quiet, this small square near rue Saint-Antoine has, over time, transformed into a sounding board.
Since the mid-2000s, residents have increased protest actions, posted banners on windows, and written open letters to the mayor and merchants.
Some even threw stink balls. Others came to see the terrace overflows by taking measurements with a meter.
On February 18, 2020, Ariel Weil issued an order imposing special regulations on this square located in a protected area of the Marais.
It required harmonization of blinds and prohibited the monopolization of the center of the square in order to guarantee optimal pedestrian circulation.
It was this decision that was challenged in court by the Commerquants Place Sainte-Catherine association. The administrative court of appeal has just validated the municipal decree.
“It’s a huge victory and a landmark decision,” explains the mayor in Le Parisien. He recalls that “the authorization to use an outdoor space is not a right but a tolerance. »
And to conclude: “This decision shows that I have the possibility, in the name of the general interest, to impose particular provisions in certain places. And I intend to use it. »
Text and photo: Katia Barillot
18.06.21
