Wimbledon expansion plan to be challenged in court

@Allies&Morrison/AELTC CGI image of a renovated Wimbledon Park, with stadiums, tennis courts, a park and lake. There are houses in the surrounding areas. — The All England Membership (AELTC) desires to construct 38 tennis courts on the previous website of Wimbledon Park Golf Membership

A authorized battle over plans to virtually triple the scale of the Wimbledon tennis website is to be taken to the Court docket of Enchantment by native campaigners.

Plans had been authorised by the Better London Authority (GLA) in September 2024 for the All England Garden Tennis Membership (AELTC) to construct 38 tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on the previous Wimbledon Park Golf Membership in west London.

Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) stated it was delighted to have the ability to attraction, and described their problem as “a David and Goliath wrestle.”

AELTC stated the plans “will create a everlasting residence for the Wimbledon Qualifying Competitors and ship 27 acres of lovely new parkland”.

In a court docket order, Lord Justice Holgate stated the teams’ arguments benefit evaluate by the Court docket of Enchantment

Simon Wright An aerial view of the current golf course within Wimbledon Park on a sunny day with blue skies. There are a large number of trees in the shot and a lake in the middle. — In a court docket order, Lord Justice Holgate stated the teams’ arguments benefit evaluate by the Court docket of Enchantment

In July, SWP’s Excessive Court docket authorized motion towards the GLA over its determination to grant planning permission for the growth was dismissed.

Throughout that listening to, barristers for SWP advised the court docket that the choice to approve the plans was “irrational” and needs to be quashed.

They claimed Wimbledon Park – a Grade II*-listed heritage website partly designed by Lancelot “Functionality” Brown – was coated by trusts and covenants governing the way it might be used.

SWP stated following the ruling that it believed the choose “took inadequate account of the statutory belief and the restrictive covenants”.

Separate Excessive Court docket proceedings are actually ongoing over whether or not a statutory belief existed, with a listening to in that case as a consequence of happen in January 2026.

SWP stated that having an attraction granted confirmed “The Group and SWP cannot be ‘steam-rollered'”.

Christopher Coombe of SWP stated: “SWP has by no means been anti-tennis. We imagine that it’s excessive time for the AELTC to recognise the raft of authorized and principled issues with its proposals and sit down and discuss constructively with SWP and the local people.”

SWP campaigners gathered outdoors the Excessive Court docket in July to oppose the plans

PA Media A man dressed in a strawberry costume holds a sign reading “BERRY ANGRY” outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as others protest in the background. — SWP campaigners gathered outdoors the Excessive Court docket in July to oppose the plans

AELTC stated they had been “assured the Court docket of Enchantment will in the end choose that the Excessive Court docket made the right determination in upholding the GLA’s grant of planning permission”.

The membership stated the plans would “ship 27 acres of lovely new parkland for native individuals to take pleasure in, offering the general public entry to inexperienced area that has been used as a personal members golf membership for greater than 100 years”.

A GLA spokesperson stated: “The mayor believes this scheme will convey a big vary of advantages together with environmental, financial, social and cultural advantages to the native space, the broader capital and the UK financial system.

“It would create new jobs, public inexperienced areas and cement Wimbledon’s status as the best tennis competitors on the earth.”

It stated with authorized proceedings ongoing, it couldn’t remark additional.

A date for the attraction listening to, which is about to be held over two days, is but to be confirmed.

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