The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has received a major boost to its ambitious £200 million expansion plans after the Greater London Authority (GLA) recommended that the club’s planning application should be approved.
Wimbledon’s proposals to build 38 new grass courts, an 8,000 square metre Parkland Show Court and transformation works at Wimbledon Park were submitted to the Mayor of London’s office last year.
This came after Wandsworth Council, which shares a border with the proposed site, rejected Wimbledon’s planning permission applications for the expansion in November last year.
London’s Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe is expected to back the plans at a public hearing next Friday.
Officials believed there were “very significant” economic benefits to the Wimbledon Park Project, which will create more than 40 year-round courts and more than 250 new courts for the Championships. The plans will also see the AELTC open up 27 acres of free-to-use parkland within Wimbledon Park.
The AELTC first announced its £200 million plan to expand Wimbledon’s tennis courts in 2021
London’s deputy mayor, Jules Pipe, is expected to give the green light to the plans next Friday
In total, the AELTC will now open 27 hectares of parkland to the public and build 39 new tennis courts at Wimbledon Park and Wimbledon Park Golf Club
They added that while there would be loss of open space and damage to protected urban open land, the “balance is clearly in favour” of approving Wimbledon’s project.
GLA officials added today that there were “no material considerations which would justify the refusal of consent”.
In addition to the construction of the 39 new tennis courts, the AELTC will also carry out transformation works on the land. They plan to plant 1,500 trees, ranging from young trees to mature trees, and will also carry out desalination works on the Wimbledon Park lake.
Deborah Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said in a statement about the update: “We are pleased that planning officers at the GLA have recommended that our transformation of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course should be approved by Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe.”
‘We believe these plans will represent one of the biggest sporting transformations for London since 2012.
‘The land we want to improve has been used as a private members’ golf course for over 100 years. As a key part of this project, we are creating 27 hectares of beautiful new parkland, which will be free to the public.’
In May, the AELTC announced that it wanted to free up an additional four hectares of land as part of the plans
The GLA’s decision on Friday comes almost a year after Wandsworth Council initially blocked the plans
The GLA’s decision comes almost a year after Wandsworth Council vetoed the AELTC’s plans, saying it “could not accept the loss of green space in Wimbledon Park”.
Fleur Anderson, Labour MP for Putney, said she was “extremely disappointed” by the GLA’s decision.
“The AELTC’s current plans are simply not fair to our constituents in Wandsworth,” she said.
‘We will continue to work with local campaigners and residents to ensure our case is made clearly.’
Jonathan Morrish of the Save Wimbledon Park campaign also admitted to The Guardian that he was disappointed and concerned about the decision.
“The overall direction of the report is not what we wanted and the admission of loss of open space and damage to protected LDCs is deeply concerning to local residents whose views have not been taken into account,” he said. “We will be attending the GLA meeting on Friday 27 in large numbers.”
Deborah Jevans CBE, chair of the AELTC, said Wimbledon’s expansion plans were a ‘double win’ for the Championships and the community
But the proposals have been met with scepticism from some community members and local councillors
Original plans to redevelop Wimbledon Park Golf Club had caused some concern among local residents and councillors. Demonstrations were held in October and a Save Wimbledon Park petition was launched which at the time of writing has gathered 20,931 signatures.
The AELTC has conducted an extensive public consultation process, with over 7,000 people attending tours and information sessions at the site since the first applications were submitted.
The tennis club has expressed concerns that Wimbledon could fall behind other Grand Slam tournaments if the expansion work is not carried out. The extra courts would also allow Wimbledon to host qualifying events on site, rather than holding the preliminary rounds at the Community Sports Centre in Roehampton.
However, the AELTC argues that the expansion project will deliver a “double win” for the community and add around £296 million to the London economy each year.
‘I’m really excited. I’m a local actually and when I look at the plans, the environmental opportunities, the de-silting of the lake, the ambition of the championships and the benefits that will bring to London and the community, it’s a double win.
The AELTC claims these developments will ensure the future of The Championships
“We’re going to improve the championships tremendously and give back to the community. And we’re also opening up the private golf course. It’s exciting.”
The decision to approve or reject Wimbledon’s application will be made by London’s Deputy Mayor, Mr Pipe, after London Mayor Sadiq Khan ruled himself out of the project, having previously spoken out in favour of the Wimbledon Park project.