The London mayor’s office is now responsible for making the final decision on whether or not to approve the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s proposal to expand the Wimbledon grand slam tournaments by building on a Grade II*-listed park, which has been met with controversy.
On Monday, a representative from city hall stated that this is a significant planning application for all of London. As a result, the deputy mayor has issued a direction under article 7 of the Town and Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order, granting him the authority to make decisions on the application. A complete planning hearing will be scheduled in the future.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), who has managed the tournaments since 1877, has requested authorization to construct a 8,000-seat, 10-story exhibition court and 38 additional grass courts in Wimbledon Park. However, activists have criticized this plan as an “industrial tennis complex”.
The plan to expand the tennis tournament grounds from 17 hectares to 46 hectares was approved by Merton council, but rejected by Wandsworth council, which is located nearby.
The plans for Wimbledon Park, designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century and designated as “metropolitan open land”, required approval from both boroughs since it extends into both areas.
Merton deferred the decision to the Greater London Authority (GLA). The ultimate decision rests with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, but he abstained from involvement due to his public endorsement of the expansion in 2021.
The mayor’s planning meeting on Monday saw Jules Pipe, London’s deputy mayor, assume responsibility for the application.
Over 16,000 individuals have added their names to a petition to protect Wimbledon Park, while 2,000 written complaints have been submitted to the councils. Both the Conservative MP Stephen Hammond and Labour MP Fleur Anderson have united to resist the AELTC’s proposals.
Anderson, the MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields and Wandsworth Town, said: “I have been campaigning against these proposals, alongside residents, for three years. The plans as they currently stand are bad for public access to green space, Londoners’ lungs and our environment.
“The GLA is a world-leading local authority when it comes to putting Londoners’ health and our environment first. I hope that they will tell Wimbledon Tennis they need to go back to the drawing board.”
Deborah Jevans, the AELTC’s chair, expressed her approval of city hall’s choice to assess the application. She stated, “Our plans will bring about a significant change in London’s sporting landscape, akin to the impact of the 2012 Olympics. By hosting the qualifying event on site like the other grand slams, we will uphold Wimbledon’s reputation as one of the top sporting events in the world.”
Jevans stated that the club’s proposals would allow for continuous community benefits, such as the development of a 23-acre park on land that has been restricted from public access for more than a century.
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“Ensuring the preservation of the championships’ future, while also greatly expanding the availability of green areas for the public, is a mutually beneficial outcome for the people of London. This will undoubtedly showcase London as the top sporting destination in the world.”
Iain Simpson, the leader of the Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) organization, expressed his support for the news. He stated, “It is significant that all political parties have expressed their disapproval of AELTC’s proposals. SWP has been actively opposing this application since it was first submitted three years ago. We have been urging AELTC to engage in communication with us, their neighboring communities. It is now time for them to reconsider their plans.”
The construction plans of the AELTC may result in the removal of approximately 300 trees, which has been criticized by some residents as “corporate ecocide”. The club has stated that the majority of these trees are of low quality and has made a commitment to plant 1,500 new trees.
In 1993, the AELTC purchased the freehold of the land in Wimbledon Park for £5.2m with the intention of expanding. However, a covenant was signed stating that the land could only be used for leisure, recreational activities, or as open space.
The land was leased by the club to Wimbledon Park golf club until 2018. The chair expressed concern that the SW19 championships would lag behind its counterparts in New York, Paris, and Melbourne if it did not expand and provide better amenities for players and viewers. He suggested that the golf club would be the ideal location for expansion.
Unfortunately, the golf club was bound by a lease agreement with the land until 2041, meaning that the AELTC was unable to reclaim the land for another 23 years. In order to expedite the process, the tennis club offered the golf club members a sum of £65m to surrender their club ahead of schedule. This resulted in a bonus of £85,000 for each member, including notable figures such as Piers Morgan, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, as well as Gus O’Donnell, the ex-cabinet secretary.
