Wimbledon’s Expansion Plans Face Obstacles

The Roadblocks for Wimbledon’s Ambitious Growth

In a significant setback, Wandsworth Council has voted against Wimbledon’s expansion plans. The All England Club had proposed constructing 39 new tennis courts, including an impressive 8,000-seater show court, on the site of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club.

The council officers had already recommended rejecting planning permission earlier this month. As per the process, now it is up to Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office to deliver a final verdict within two weeks following Wandsworth’s decision. Additionally, both Michael Gove and Sadiq Khan have the power to take over the application themselves if they choose to do so.

Merton Council, responsible for most of the land in question except for a small northern part, had previously supported the proposal last month. Although its officers acknowledged that there would be some “physical harm” caused to Metropolitan Open Land due to development activities, they concluded that there were “very special circumstances” which warranted granting approval as substantial public benefits would outweigh any harm inflicted.

However, despite Merton Council backing it up initially, Wandsworth Council recently rejected these expansion plans after their planning committee meeting held on Tuesday. This decision puts into question whether qualifying matches at Wimbledon will continue taking place off-site in Roehampton or could potentially be moved closer if further developments occur.

In order to appease local concerns and enhance community engagement with tennis events outside of just The Championships period itself, The All England Club has committed to creating a brand-new 23-acre public park. The design will pay homage to the original landscape architect, Capability Brown. Furthermore, at least seven grass courts would be made accessible to the local community during the summer weeks following Wimbledon.

Nevertheless, strong opposition from organizations such as Save Wimbledon Park has highlighted various concerns about environmental impact and potential loss of trees and open spaces due to the expansion project.

While there may be attempts to challenge the lawfulness of this decision on grounds of illegality, procedural unfairness or irrationality, it is worth noting that only a small number of such cases succeed each year due to high legal standards required for success in these matters.

A potential obstacle may arise from a 30-year-old legal covenant regarding land usage. When Merton Council transferred freehold rights of the golf course to The All England Lawn Tennis Club in 1993, an agreement was made that specified leisure/recreational purposes or maintaining open space were permitted uses for the land.