"I will not give up!" Voile Rouge owner pledges

Court in Toulon bans owners of La Voile Rouge from building on Pampelonne beach in Ramatuelle

The court, which already banned the club from being rebuilt on the plot of exclusive land in Ramatuelle last year,  again dismissed Tomaselli's plans to resurrect the A-list haven on the private car park of the former sailing club on Monday. 

Although the beach club was officially closed and knocked down last December, authorities caught Tomaselli attempting to rebuild it without a permit earlier this month. 

The Mayor of Ramatuelle, Roland Bruno, slammed the illegal reconstruction in June for being environmentally damaging and told local newspaper Nice Matin that the decision made by the courts was for the benefit of the whole community: "This decision was based on behalf of the community and is for the general interest of the people." 

Bruno added, "the town invests time and money to achieve a development plan that equally takes into consideration the environment and the ecomony of Pampelonne beach." He said that a contary decision would open the door to chaos at the idyllic spot in Ramatuelle. 

Tomaselli is said to be furious with the court's decision: "I'm disappointed, of course, but I will not give up! I'm going to appeal and file a complaint against the municipality. One thing is certain though, I definitely won't give up. I will take all the time I need." 

Sarah Lloyd