Wimbledon expansion faces High Court hearing on Tuesday
The All England Club will today face a High Court challenge over its proposed expansion of Wimbledon, which campaigners have branded “unlawful”.
The Save Wimbledon Park group argues that £200m plans for the All England Club to expand across the road and into a neighbouring golf course, involved “errors of law and planning policy” by the Greater London Authority.
Controversial proposals to build 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat show court, and a new public park were passed in September by the GLA. Wandsworth Council had rejected the plans in 2023, although the majority of the site is within Merton Council boundaries.
“We all know the need to transform the former Wimbledon Golf Course in order to stage our qualifying competition on a permanent site, close to our main grounds, rather than on land that is leased from the Bank of England,” All England Club chair Debbie Jevans said before the Championships.
“We expect a decision from the judge a few weeks after [the hearing].”
Wimbledon High Court hearing
Save Wimbledon Park crowdfunded the judicial review, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, during the second week of the annual Championships.
Wimbledon chiefs argue that the public park land they’ll occupy was inaccessible to those who were not paying golf members, while campaigners say the expansion – which will triple the existing site’s size – will come at a “devastating cost to the local environment and community”.
Christopher Coombe, a director of SWP, said: “If this decision by the GLA is upheld and the development goes ahead, the detrimental impacts on our environment and delicate ecosystem will be devastating.
“This is not just in SW19; it’s happening all over London.
“We all love the Wimbledon Championships but don’t believe the proposal is really about protecting the future of the world’s best tennis tournament.”
Any judgement made in the High Court can be appealed in the Court of Appeal. There is a second twist in the saga set for January, which relates to an obscure law about statutory trusts.