The battle over the fate of four private beaches in Menton took a turn on 31st March when the Administrative Court of Appeal in Marseille upheld a previous suspension of the popular seaside spots in light of procedural irregularities in how their contracts were awarded. As a result, all four venues will remain closed for the summer season.
Four popular private beach clubs in Menton—La Pergola, La French Plage, Caesar Plage and Calabro Beach Club—received the worst possible news at the end of March when a judge at the Administrative Court of Appeal in Marseille upheld a previous ruling preventing them from opening for the summer 2025 season.
This final decision came on 31st March, with the judge confirming that the public service delegation contracts for the four mentioned private beaches in Menton had been suspended. The ruling reaffirmed a previous judgment by the Nice Administrative Court that cited procedural irregularities in how contracts for these beaches were awarded.
For three of them—La Pergola, Caesar Plage and Calabro Beach Club—the selection process failed to adhere to the requirement of “prioritised criteria”, while La French Plage faced a different issue: the accepted bid lacked a proper financial guarantee. According to coverage of the court process by the French press, the application relied solely on owner Thibault Martin’s personal guarantee, which, according to the court, did not meet the condition of obtaining a bank guarantee or equivalent.
Martin has defended his position on social media, explaining, “An unregistered company cannot obtain a bank guarantee at the time of application. The requirement was therefore, from the outset, incompatible with the reality of a start-up company. The consultation regulations allowed for an equivalent alternative, such as a personal guarantee recognised by the Public Treasury. We complied with the terms as stated, with the support of a reliable third party.”
He went on to say the court’s ruling is a consequence of an administrative dispute between the Mairie de Menton and the Prefecture des Alpes-Maritimes rather than wrongdoing by the business owners who “acted in good faith.”
SETBACKS FOR MENTON BEACHES
The decision marks yet another setback in an ongoing battle between Menton’s municipal government and the Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture, which had flagged potential irregularities in seven of a total nine private beach contracts.
For some beach operators, the ruling has been the final blow; the managers of Caesar Plage and Calabro Beach Club are understood to have decided to abandon their beach club plans entirely, citing the uncertainty surrounding the case.
Menton’s Mayor, Yves Juhel, has also expressed frustration over the outcome.
“We are disappointed by this appeal; it’s incomprehensible,” he told France 3 Côte d’Azur. “I feel sad for the beach attendants who invested their time and money. Jobs have been lost, and no one took that into account.”
Juhel also pointed fingers at the Assistant Maître d’Ouvrage (AMO), the advisory body responsible for helping define, manage and oversee the project.
“AMO should have guided the community properly to ensure criteria were clearly defined and prioritised,” continued the mayor in his comments. “Instead, the court found ‘serious doubts’, which suggests a major failure on their part.”
WHICH BEACHES WILL BE OPEN?
Despite the closures, some good news emerged for other private beach operators. Les Sablettes and La Dolce Vita, which had been under review, are now cleared to open from 15th April. The Prefecture has officially withdrawn its complaints, and the Nice Administrative Court has confirmed that all litigation regarding these two beaches is now closed.
However, uncertainty still looms over La Cabane Beach, which remains under scrutiny by the authorities despite not being suspended. The owners are reportedly waiting for further clarity before deciding whether to reopen.
In a separate but related move, the Mairie de Menton recently notified the operators of two additional beach lots that their allocations had been revoked. While these locations were not part of the court battle, city officials cited legal uncertainties as the reason for restarting the selection process.
“To avoid any legal risk, we are reopening the competition for Lots 1 and 9,” confirmed Mayor Juhel, adding that the process will begin after the municipal council meeting in late May or early June. He also noted that the suspended beach clubs may be able to reapply.
As the legal drama continues, beachgoers and business owners alike are left wondering what the future holds for Menton’s famous and popular private beaches. While some will be open for the season, others remain caught in an administrative storm that shows no signs of clearing up anytime soon.
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Photo credit: Jennifer Guerin / Ville de Menton