More than 1,000 opposed to plans to expand Wimbledon

By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter
toby@slpmedia.co.uk

Calls to block a huge expansion to the Wimbledon Tennis Club have been made after more than 1,000 people objected to a planning application.

The famous All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) wants to expand into the neighbouring Wimbledon Park Golf Club.

If approved, it would span 67 hectares between Wimbledon and Wandsworth.

But the plans have faced opposition, with more than 1,000 public objections and 30 letters of support.

At a Merton council meeting on Wednesday, November 17 Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Kohler called on the authority to block the plans.

He claimed that a restrictive covenant – a clause in a contract – could halt the building works, even if planning permission was granted.

Cllr Kohler said: “When the council sold the freehold of the Wimbledon Golf Club site to the All England Club in 1993 they gave public assurances that they would never build on the land, backed up with a legally enforceable covenant in the sale agreement.

“Now the All England Club is trying to go back on its word and break its promises to the council and to Wimbledon residents.

“By pressing ahead with these plans in spite of the significant opposition of local residents, and in flagrant disregard of its historic promises not to build on the land, the All England Club is showing complete contempt for the people of Wimbledon.”

But the AELTC hit back at the claim on its website, writing: “This is not a matter considered in planning.”

The AELTC wants to build 39 new grass courts as well as an 8,000-seat “parkland show court”, and says this would mean qualifying matches of the tournament could be moved from Roehampton to Wimbledon.

The club bought the leasehold of the golf course back in 2018 – it already owned the freehold. It is set to take over the northern part of the course in 2022, and the rest of it the following year.

The Wimbledon Society has also come out against the plans for a number of reasons, including concerns about major disruption in the eight-year building phase.

The society said: “The environmental impact due to the scale of the project will be significant. “The stadium and the 10 ancillary buildings require large concrete foundations, and each of the 38 courts will have a concrete surround.

The stadium will be mostly concrete.”

It adds that the development would be the largest in Wimbledon in modern times.

The AELTC addresses a series of concerns on its website under the heading “mythbusting”.

Here it said: “We take the importance of preserving the local environment and heritage very seriously.

“Therefore, central to our proposals is the creation of one of London’s first new public parks since the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park opened almost a decade ago.

“The new park will be 9.4 hectares and will allow public access to the previously private golf course land located within the southern part of the site. The site includes a large number of trees (and other vegetation) set around the golf course layout.”

Public consultation on the application has now closed but, if approved, the AELTC expects the development would be ready for the 2028
tournament.

Picture caption: Ashleigh Barty celebrates her win in the final of the Ladies’ Singles at Wimbledon this summer (Picture: PA). Inset, plans for a court on the site of the golf course