The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has been handed a major boost in its ambitious £200m 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 Parkland Show Court and carry out transformative works to Wimbledon Park were referred to the Mayor of London’s office last year.
It came after Wandsworth Borough Council, who share a boundary line on the proposed site, had rejected Wimbledon’s planning applications for the expansion last November.
Deputy Mayor of London, Jules Pipe, is now expected to back the plans at a public hearing which is due to take place next Friday.
Officers believed that there were ‘very significant’ economic benefits to the Wimbledon Park Project, which is set to create over 40-year-round jobs and over 250 new jobs for the Championships. The plans will also see the AELTC open up 27 acres of free-to-use parkland in Wimbledon Park.
The AELTC first announced its £200m plan to expand Wimbledon’s tennis grounds in 2021
Deputy Mayor of London Jules Pipe is expected to give the plans the green light next Friday
In total, the AELTC will now open up 27 acres of parkland to members of the public and build 39 new tennis courts on Wimbledon Park and Wimbledon Park Golf Club
They added that while there will be a loss of open space and harm to protected Metropolitan Open Land, the ‘balance is clearly in favour’ of approving Wimbledon’s project.
GLA officials today added that there was ‘no material considerations that are considered to justify the refusal of consent’.
Alongside the construction of the 39 new tennis courts, the AELTC are also set to carry out transformative works on the land. They intend to plant 1,500 trees, which will range from saplings to more mature trees and will also carry out de-silting works on the Wimbledon Park lake.
Speaking on the update, Chair of the All England Club, Deborah Jevans said in a statement: ‘We are pleased that the GLA’s planning officers have recommended that our transformation of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course should be approved by Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe.’
‘We believe that these plans will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012.
‘The land that we propose to enhance has been used as a private members’ golf course for well over 100 years and, as a core part of this project, we will create 27 acres of beautiful new parkland, free for the public to access and enjoy.’
In May, the AELTC announced they would be looking to unlock an additional four acres of land as part of the plans
The GLA’s decision on Friday comes nearly a year after Wandsworth Borough Council initially vetoed the plans
The GLA’s decision comes nearly a year after Wandsworth Borough Council vetoed the AELTC’s plans, stating that they ‘could not support the loss of green space at Wimbledon Park’.
Labour MP for Putney, Fleur Anderson, stated that she was ‘extremely disappointed’ by the GLA’s decision.
‘The AELTC plans as they currently stand are simply not fair for our constituents in Wandsworth,’ she said.
‘We will continue to work alongside local campaigners and residents to ensure that our case is made clearly.’
Jonathan Morrish from the Save Wimbledon Park campaign also admitted his disappointment and concern over the decision to The Guardian.
‘The general direction of the report is not what we wanted and the admission of loss of open space and harm to protected MOL is deeply distressing to local residents whose views haven’t been taken into consideration,’ he said. ‘We will be out in force at the GLA meeting on Friday 27th.’
AELTC chair Deborah Jevans CBE, stated Wimbledon’s expansion plans are a ‘double win’ for the Championships and the community
But the proposals have been met with scepticism from some members of the community and local council members
Original plans to redevelop Wimbledon Park Golf Club had sparked some concern among local residents and council members. Demonstrations were held in October and Save Wimbledon Park have started a petition that has gathered 20,931 signatures at the time of writing.
The AELTC have conducted an extensive public consultation process that has seen over 7,000 members of the public attend tours and information events on the site since applications were first submitted.
The tennis club has expressed concerns that Wimbledon could fall behind the other Grand Slam tournaments if the expansion works are not carried out. With the additional courts, Wimbledon would also be able to bring qualifying events on-site, instead of hosting the preliminary rounds at the Community Sport Centre in Roehampton.
But the AELTC maintains that the expansion project is a ‘double win’ for the community and will bring an annual benefit of approximately £296million to the London economy.
‘I’m hugely excited. I’m a local resident 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 that then gives to London and the community, it’s a double win.
The AELTC claims that these developments will ensure the future of The Championships
‘We will massively enhance the Championships and give back to the community. And we’re also opening up the private golf course. It’s exciting.’
The decision to approve or deny Wimbledon’s application will be made by the Deputy Mayor of London, Mr Pipe, after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had excluded himself from the project having previously spoken in favour of the Wimbledon Park Project.
